CHARLESTON — Finding a solution to the problem of substance abuse in West Virginia is going to take new thinking and money, according to a report issued Monday — which means it’s also going to require some political will.

The West Virginia Partnership for Community Well-Being, a state policy and planning board, has outlined what’s billed as the first statewide strategy for countering the ravages of drug and alcohol addiction.

The plan, which was requested by Gov. Joe Manchin, recommends spending $23.5 million a year in prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery efforts. The state currently spends none of its own dollars on any of those areas except treatment.

At the heart of the plan is the creation of county prevention partnerships, one group in each county, to devise local solutions and serve as a channel for state resources.

“We don’t have all the answers here in Charleston,” Manchin said at a meeting convened around the unveiling of the plan. “We need communities to get involved.”

Other aspects of the plan call for surveys of students at all secondary schools every two years, annual reports to the governor and Legislature and a review of state law as it applies to substance abuse.

The last element will likely touch on how the criminal justice system treats people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. A different study group convened by Manchin earlier this year produced a report recommending less severe penalties and a shift from punishment to treatment.

That approach got a boost at Monday’s meeting from Manchin and from state Supreme Court Chief Justice Brent Benjamin, who said efforts like the state’s drug courts, which focus on treatment and rehabilitation, should be enhanced.

“When we talk about drugs, we frequently focus too much on punishment and education” and not enough on treatment and rehabilitation, Benjamin said.

Manchin said new ways of thinking and the possibility of spending millions on the program every year would both incur some political risk.

“People will make political hay out of it, saying, Oh, they’re soft on crime,” he said.

But Manchin vowed the plan will be his top priority, which includes finding a way to fund its recommendations.

The governor is not yet committed to the idea of raising taxes on alcohol to fund the $23.5 million annual cost, although he didn’t rule it out. Manchin said he believes there are still ways to streamline state government to find additional savings, and money could potentially come from that process.

“We can always hide behind these challenging economic times as a reason not to do something,” he said. “This is one we can’t afford not to do.”

Manchin said the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center, which prepared the report, estimates that substance abuse costs the state more than $470 million a year.

Lawmakers who attended the meeting said they’re convinced the plan can be implemented as early as next year, following action in the 2010 legislative session.

Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne, the chairman of the House Health and Human Resources Committee, said it’s an encouraging sign that Manchin has promised to make this his top priority.

“My hope is that the time for hand-wringing is over, and this gives us a framework we can now act upon,” said Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha.