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Substance Abuse Can Affect Anyone

Kevin Mark Simms, 63, has performed a substantial amount of public service during his life. For 16 years, he was a member of Moundsville City Council. From 1998-2000, he was mayor.

Now he may be headed to a federal prison.

Simms has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of distributing Percocet, a form of the opioid drug oxycodone. As we reported Saturday, Simms could be sentenced to as long as 20 years in prison. He also faces a fine of as much as $1 million.

It is unlikely Simms will receive a sentence that stiff, either in terms of incarceration or a fine. Still, he has been convicted of a serious crime.

What happened? Exactly what caused Simms’ fall from public servant to illicit drug seller is not known.

But his downfall is one more reminder of the power of opiates and the seriousness of the substance abuse epidemic for which West Virginia is ground zero.

Drug addiction is no respecter of individual people or classes. It affects everyone. It can drag anyone down — and once addiction has a person in its clutches, it is a brutal master. Simms’ situation is one more reminder of the vicious nature of drug abuse.

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