West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced a Putnam County student as the statewide winner of this year’s Kids Kick Opioids contest, a public service announcement partnership with elementary and middle schools that encourages students to raise awareness of prescription painkiller abuse.
Judges selected Erin Walls from Winfield Middle School in Putnam County as the statewide winner. They chose Walls’ artwork from entries submitted by students across West Virginia.
Walls’s winning design features a drawing of an opioid pill dealing cards at a poker table where the face cards are images relating to drug abuse. The caption reads, “Don't deal with drugs. LIVES ARE AT STAKE.”
“Erin’s design shows the grim reality of the opioid epidemic and how opioid abuse can destroy lives,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “My congratulations to Erin, our runners-up and all of our regional winners for their hard work in promoting awareness of opioid abuse. We must do everything possible to attack the root causes of addiction and teach our youth the serious consequences of drug abuse.”
Erin’s design will soon appear in newspapers across West Virginia as the Attorney General’s next public service announcement.
Judges also recognized Mary Calvert from Washington Irving Middle School in Harrison County, Aryana Hinz from Moorefield Middle School in Hardy County, Sheridan Hudson from Rivesville Elementary/Middle School in Marion County and Abby Allen from Spanishburg Elementary School in Mercer County as the statewide runners-up. Their designs will appear with Erin’s on the Attorney General’s website.
Judges recognized winning entries from 79 students overall. Those designs will be displayed in the State Capitol in the fall.
Kids Kick Opioids represents one of many initiatives through which the Attorney General has sought to combat West Virginia’s drug overdose death rate, including a lawsuit against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that achieved sweeping reforms to the nation’s drug quota system.
The Attorney General also has combated the opioid crisis with civil litigation, multistate initiatives, funding to target opioid abuse, criminal prosecutions, new technology, engagement with the faith-based community and education.
The West Virginia Board of Pharmacy, West Virginia Association of School Nurses and the Capitol Police assisted the Attorney General in judging the public service announcement contest.
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