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Virginia Substance Abuse News
Virginia Police to Step Up Drug Enforcement in Winchester, Virginia
City to Team with Virginia State Police as Part of Continuing Effort to Crack Down on Illegal Drug Trade
The Winchester, Virginia Police Department will step up its drug enforcement efforts “soon,” according to Chief Gary W. Reynolds.

Reynolds would not specify exactly when the extra work will begin, but a press release provided to City Council’s Community Safety and Services Committee on Monday states that four Virginia State Police troopers, three K-9 troopers, and a state special agent will assist in the task starting sometime this month.

The increased Virginia police attention on drug traffic is part of a larger joint WPD and Northwest Virginia Regional Drug Task Force operation that started in April 2002 and led to 18 drug arrests last fall, the release states.

This new part of the initiative will include undercover Virginia officers and greater marked Virginia police presence, said Reynolds and the effort’s coordinator, WPD Sgt. J.M. Danielson.

The initiative represents a bit of a change from enforcement targeting drug dealers, Reynolds said. “We’re now shifting the focus toward buyers as well as dealers.”

Reynolds said the Winchester, Virginia operation will be similar to those instituted in Richmond and Newport News. While Winchester, Virginia is smaller than both, Reynolds said the city has a drug problem just like that of many cities, and, while not a metro area itself, Winchester, Virginia sits at the outside of the Washington-Baltimore metro area, is close to two different states, and lies along a major interstate highway.

Most areas Winchester, Virginia size or larger have similar drug problems, Reynolds said. “We just happen to be taking a more pro-active stance.”

The WPD scored 363 drug arrests in 2002, the press release states, and in 2003, has averaged 31 drug arrests each month.

The drugs passing hands in Winchester, Virginia come in all varieties, said Danielson, including marijuana, crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.

“Everything’s here, unfortunately,” he said.

“The intent of this initiative is to send a clear message that Winchester, Virginia is not the place to buy and sell drugs,” the release states.

Reynolds said a good analogy for the philosophy behind the effort is that of a driver who slows down when a state trooper is nearby, but speeds up when the trooper passes.

In terms of drug enforcement, Reynolds said, people may keep an eye out for marked Virginia police cars, but let their guard down after the Virginia police presence leaves, not knowing there may be some undercover Virginia officers in their midst.

The effort includes not just the WPD and Virginia state police, but also the Winchester, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and assistance from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.

Reynolds would only say the Virginia state police compliment would be in Winchester, Virginia for “a while.” But, he added, “This is not a one weekend type of operation.”

In other business, the CS&S Committee:

* Agreed to place a “new traffic pattern” sign on the right side of Cameron Street near its intersection with Piccadilly Street, so that drivers turning right on the now two-way street will remember to look left for oncoming traffic.

* Discussed a request from the residents of Willow Lawn cottages for the city to maintain its roads. City policy prevents the city from doing so, since the streets are not at Virginia Department of Transportation standards.

However, committee member Michael L. Butler said a letter written by the residents should by kept on file by the city as evidence of issues connected to Planned Unit Development zones like Willow Lawn.

Additionally, he said, the city can offer the residents information about acquiring timely maintenance.

Present at the meeting in the Timbrook Public Safety Center were Butler, Chairwoman Elizabeth A. Minor, Mayor Larry T. Omps, Philip E. Pate, Glen P. Burke, and Timothy S. Coyne. Jeffrey B. Buettner and Theodora L. Rezba were absent.

Virginia Treatment Facts

During 2000, of the 23,182 individuals entering substance abuse treatment in Virginia, 3,804 were for cocaine .
During 2000, of the 23,182 individuals entering substance abuse treatment in Virginia, 3,305 were for marijuana .
During 2000, of the 23,182 individuals entering substance abuse treatment in Virginia, 1,477 were for heroin .
During 2000, of the 23,182 individuals entering substance abuse treatment in Virginia, 86 were for meth .

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If you or someone you care for has a substance abuse problem and needs treatment, it is important to know that no single treatment approach is appropriate for all individuals. Finding the right substance abuse treatment program involves careful consideration of such things as the setting, length of care, philosophical approach and your or your loved one's needs.

Effective treatment must attend to the multiple needs of the individual, not just the drug use.
Remaining in substance abuse treatment for an adequate period of time is critical for treatment effectiveness and positive change.
Each person is different and the amount of time in treatment will depend on his or her problems and needs. Research shows that for most individuals, the beginning of improvement begins at about 3 months into treatment. After this time, there is usually further progress toward recovery.
Counseling (individual and/or group) and other behavioral therapies are critical components of effective treatment.
In treatment, individuals look at issues of motivation, build skills to resist drug use, replace drug-using activities with constructive and rewarding behaviors, and improve problem-solving skills. Behavioral therapy also facilitates interpersonal relationships and the individual's ability to function in the home and community.
Detoxification is only the first stage of substance abuse treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use.
Detoxification safely manages the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal associated with stopping substance use. While detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicts achieve long-term abstinence, for some individuals it is a strongly indicated precursor to effective drug addiction treatment.
Strong motivation can facilitate the treatment process. Support from family and friends can increase significantly both treatment entry and retention rates and the success of drug treatment interventions.
It is important to match treatment settings, interventions, and services to each individual's particular problems and needs. This is critical to his or her ultimate success in returning to healthy functioning in the family, school, work and society.

Patients who stay in substance abuse treatment longer than 3 months usually have better outcomes than those who stay less time. Patients who go through medically assisted withdrawal to minimize discomfort but do not receive any further treatment, perform about the same in terms of their substance use as those who were never treated. Over the last 25 years, studies have shown that treatment works to reduce drug intake and crimes committed by drug-dependent people. Researchers also have found that drug abusers who have been through treatment are more likely to have jobs.

The ultimate goal of all substance abuse treatment is to enable the individual to achieve lasting abstinence. The immediate goals are to reduce drug use, improve the patient's ability to function, and minimize the medical and social complications of drug abuse. Nearly all addicted individuals believe in the beginning that they can stop using drugs on their own, and most try to stop without treatment. However, most of these attempts result in failure to achieve long-term abstinence. Research has shown that long-term substance abuse results in significant changes in brain function that persist long after the individual stops using drugs. These drug-induced changes in brain function may have many behavioral consequences including the compulsion to use drugs despite adverse consequences, the defining characteristic of addiction.

Understanding that addiction has such an important biological component may help explain an individual's difficulty in achieving and maintaining abstinence without treatment. Psychological stress from work or family problems, social cues (such as meeting individuals from one's drug-using past), or the environment (such as encountering streets, objects, or even smells associated with substance abuse) can interact with biological factors to hinder attainment of sustained abstinence and make relapse more likely. Research studies indicate that even the most severely addicted individuals can participate actively in treatment and that active participation is essential to good outcomes.

Virginia Facts

Virginia was named for England's "Virgin Queen," Elizabeth I.

The major cash crop of Virginia is tobacco and many of the people who live there earn their living from the tobacco industry.

Virginia is known as "the birthplace of a nation".

Arlington County was originally part of the ten-mile square parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be part of Washington, DC. The U.S. Congress returned that portion of the land to the "Commonwealth of Virginia" following a referendum among its citizens.