There are opiate pills still. Heroin, too, and let’s not forget fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Each of the narcotics is highly addictive and has caused overdose deaths throughout the country but especially in the Upper Ohio Valley despite the efforts of drug task forces in Ohio and Marshall counties.
And although the state Department of Health and Human Resources reported recently the number of overdoses has declined in West Virginia, Marshall County Sheriff Bill Helms remains very concerned with the drug trafficking that continues to take place in the Northern Panhandle.
But marijuana? Not so much these days.
“I do not see the marijuana use that I did when I was young in my career, but that is also what we always looked for back in those days because of how prevalent it was then. But I think the stigma that’s been attached to marijuana is going away,” Helms said. “Now we still enforce the laws we have, but marijuana is not real high on the priority list anymore.
“People are not overdosing on marijuana. They are dying after taking heroin or fentanyl, and that is why our deputies and the members of the Marshall County Drug Task Force concentrate more on the drugs that are killing people,” the sheriff said. “Right now, it’s about putting out the bigger fires first and at this time those opiates and meth still are cascading across the border and from countries and that’s not helping the situation.”
About 10 years ago, former sheriff John Gruzinksas decided to separate his deputies from the drug force in Ohio County to develop a new unit for Marshall County because of the increase in drug distribution. Since several big busts have taken place that has closed operations that originated from outside the area.
“But we only have so many deputies and so many hours in a day, and that’s why I don’t care about a personal-use marijuana guy when I know there is a large operation going on that involves drugs that can kill,” Helms explained. “I’ve only got so many people and so much money, so I am going to prioritize it like we do everything else in law enforcement.
“If we pull over someone who has a pound of marijuana in his truck, he’s going to jail for sure, but if there’s a case that involves shake or residue, we’re not going to mess with that because I don’t believe using the taxpayers’ money on such small amounts is justified these days,” he said. “I believe we can re-allocate those resources, especially at this time because of everything that is flowing into this region.”
Workforce Shortage
The Marshall County Commission allots funds for the sheriff and 33 deputies to cover the rural portions of Marshall County, an area that cover approximately 290 square feet. While Helms and his deputies do not patrol Benwood, McMechen, Glen Dale or Moundsville because those municipalities operate police departments, they do patrol Cameron when officers are in the area.
Helms, though, now only has 27 deputies on duty, and that leads to reworking priorities lists when covering county crime. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office will welcome candidates John Marshall High’s football complex on April 2nd for the written civil service exam and the physical training test. Those who receive passing scores on those two tasks than would go through a background check.
“And we’re really hoping for more candidates than what we have had in the past because I’ve never seen it this low here in Marshall County,” Helms reported. “I don’t have the manpower and that’s why I have to center my people around the most urgent need. Fentanyl is a very scary thing, and it is one of our highest priorities right now.
“Our job is to keep the people safe from the biggest threats that are out there, and when it comes to drugs, the opiates are No. 1 and marijuana is low on the list,” he said. “Of course, someone driving a vehicle is not allowed to smoke it while he or she is behind the wheel, but the same is true about alcohol. Plus, we now have medicinal marijuana in West Virginia and those patients have to travel right now, so that’s something we consider, as well.”
Decriminalization
Earlier this week Bill Schmitt Jr. welcomed close to 20 individuals to the first meeting for a group called Sensible Wheeling in an effort to gage the level of interest in decriminalizing marijuana in the Friend City. If the movement moves forward, Schmitt and a number of supporters would need to collect at least 6,000 signatures from Wheeling residents to place the issue on the ballot in November.
During that meeting at Eden Family Restaurant on Wheeling Island, Schmitt expressed his wish to spread the effort to other cities in the Northern Panhandle, including a few in Marshall County.
If and when that happens, Sheriff Helms said he would make no effort to derail the initiative in Marshall County.
“If that movement were to come to Marshall County, I wouldn’t oppose it,” he said. “I, myself, am not a marijuana user, but I have fought a lot of people drunk on whiskey, but I have never fought anybody who was high on cannabis. That’s saying a lot, I believe, because I have been law enforcement for more than 30 years.
“I also believe that government can overreach sometimes, and that is something I have never been a fan of during my career,” Helms added. “My job is to work for the people and that’s exactly what I do each and every day, and if the people vote to decriminalize cannabis in one or more of our cities or the entire county, then adhering to that wish is a part of this position.”
