Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement today regarding the designation of Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) by the Office of National Drug Control Policy:

“Today’s announcement is good and bad news for the fight against drugs in Southwest Virginia. On the positive side, the support and resources provided through the HIDTA program will aid authorities in Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties in their current efforts combating drug-related activities. Illegal drugs have no place in our communities. Regrettably, there is a need for more counties in Southwest Virginia to be included in this designation. The manufacturing, trafficking, and abuse of illegal drugs have become causes for great concern throughout our area. Drug abuse impacts a person’s physical and mental health and also has serious legal, social, and financial consequences.”

 Background:  The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, provides assistance to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is responsible for setting the priorities and objectives of our national drug control policy.

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