CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced Monday rollout of the office’s fifth Kids Kick Opioids contest, a public service announcement partnership with elementary and middle schools that encourages students to raise awareness of prescription painkiller abuse.
Kids Kick Opioids has drawn more than 12,800 entries since its inception. The fifth contest launched this month with the mailing of entry forms and details to schools and superintendents across West Virginia.
“Each year, our Kids Kick Opioids contest showcases the boundless talent and creativity of our elementary and middle school students,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “Their entries, some with an especially poignant view of opioid abuse, have been a driving force in raising awareness about the dangers opioid painkillers present.”
The contest provides an opportunity for students to learn the dangers of prescription painkiller abuse. It has also given many an outlet to express the personal impact of opioid abuse upon their lives and that of their loved ones.
Students can work individually or in groups. Potential submissions may include drawings, poems, letters or anything that would promote awareness.
The winning entry will appear as a statewide newspaper PSA. Regional winners will be displayed in the State Capitol.
Last year, Kids Kick Opioids generated 3,366 entries from 3,521 students at 91 schools across West Virginia. Since its inception, schools from 52 of the state’s 55 counties have participated.
Thousands of West Virginians have lost their lives to a drug overdose, many of which were opioid related.
Reversing this trend has been a top priority for the Attorney General. He has fought the epidemic on multiple fronts, 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.
Contest entries must be postmarked by April 16 by mail to the Attorney General’s Office at 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E., State Capitol Building 1, Room 26-E, Charleston, WV 25305, or sent by email to AGPSA.contest@wvago.gov.
