{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398634", "Griffith Announces Federal Designation for Pulaski County and Wythe County to Help Combat Drug Trafficking", "2016-10-14", "2016", "2016-10", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Morgan Griffith", "G000568", "morgangriffith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Friday, October 14, 2016 - Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) announced that Pulaski County and Wythe County have been designated as part of the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).\u00a0\u00a0 This designation will allow local agencies to benefit from initiatives to reduce drug use, and receive federal resources to further develop and coordinate drug control efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.\r\nGriffith said, \u201cI am glad that Pulaski County and Wythe County have been designated as part of the HIDTA; however, it is unfortunate that illegal drugs are a pressing issue here in Southwest Virginia.\u00a0 The trafficking and abuse of drugs are a serious cause for concern.\u00a0 Due to this concern, I supported the petition for Pulaski and Wythe to receive this designation, so local law enforcement and others diligently fighting the drug crisis will be able to utilize the resources associated with the program.\u201d\u00a0 \r\n\u201cThese resources will help educate citizens about ways to get help and treatment.\u00a0 It is my hope that this will make an impact in helping to lower drug overdoses, and rid our region of these dangerous drugs.\u201d\r\nDirector of National Drug Control Policy Michael Botticelli said, \u201cThe High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program is an important part of this Administration\u2019s work to expand community-based efforts to prevent drug use, pursue \u2018smart on crime\u2019 approaches to drug enforcement, work to reduce overdose deaths, increase access to treatment, and support millions of Americans in recovery.\u201d\r\nAccording to the ONDCP, the HIDTA program, which was created by Congress in 1988, serves as a catalyst for coordination among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug trafficking regions of the United States. \u00a0Law enforcement organizations working within HIDTAs assess drug-trafficking issues and design specific initiatives to decrease the production, transportation, distribution, and chronic use of drugs and money laundering.\u00a0 There are currently 28 HIDTAs across the country, including the Appalachia HIDTA. \r\nPulaski and Wythe join nine other localities in Virginia as part of the Appalachia HIDTA.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398634"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8707619272172451, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}