Johnson to lead office to combat drug abuse

For the past three years, Johnson has served as director of the Huntington Mayor’s Office of Drug Control Policy, addressing drug addiction and creating a holistic approach involving prevention, treatment and law enforcement. He retired from that position June 30.

“It’s not a position that will be vacant for a long time, but we also want to make sure that we fill the position with a capable individual,” Chambers said.

He added that the director of the Office of Drug Control Policy plays an important role in addressing the city’s opioid epidemic and continuing community partnerships aimed at fighting this problem.

Chambers said the position is funded through grants. Johnson previously retired from the Huntington Police Department in 2001 after 29 years of service. He also served as interim police chief for a few months in 2014.

“In a time when West Virginia’s drug overdose death rate is more than double the national average, I am confident Jim Johnson’s proven leadership and wealth of experience make him the right fit for this critical position,” Crouch said in the release. “Having someone in place who not only has knowledge, but also managerial experience in a similar office at the local level, will bode well for West Virginia.”

“West Virginia’s drug epidemic has become the state’s No. 1 public health problem,” Gupta said in the release. “The new Office of Drug Control Policy is extremely important to our comprehensive approach to combating substance misuse and reducing the number of deaths occurring in West Virginia.”

Johnson’s appointment is effective Sept. 2.

“This is a tremendous honor to lead the Office of Drug Control Policy as I believe this office will make an impact statewide to protect the public’s health,” Johnson said in the release.

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