Students can now enter the eighth annual Kids Kick Opioids contest until Friday, May 3.
The contest provides an opportunity for students to learn about the dangers and deadly consequences of prescription painkiller abuse.
It has also given many an outlet to share their personal experiences, highlighting how opioid dependence has impacted their lives and that of their loved ones.
“Every year, the Kids Kick Opioids contest showcases the incredible talent and creativity of our elementary and middle school students,” attorney general Patrick
Morrisey said. “Their entries viscerally demonstrate that the opioid crisis affects many families across West Virginia, and as a result, resonates in classrooms statewide.”
Kids Kick Opioids has received more than 17,600 entries since its inception.
“Kids Kick Opioids gives students an outlet to express their concerns, while using the creativity and talent of all participants to raise awareness of the epidemic,” Morrisey said.
Students can work individually or in groups. Submissions may include drawings, poems, letters or anything that would promote awareness.
The winning entry will appear as a statewide newspaper public service announcement. Regional winners will be displayed in the State Capitol.
Thousands of West Virginians have lost their lives to a drug overdose, many of which were associated with opiate use.
Reducing the number of opioid related overdoses and deaths has been a top priority for Morrisey.
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 battled 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 Friday, May 3, and mailed to the Attorney General’s Office at 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E., State Capitol Building 1, Room 26-E, Charleston, WV 25305, or sent by e-mail to [email protected].