A statewide board recommends spending $23.5 million annually to combat substance abuse in West Virginia.

The Partnership to Promote Community Well-Being issued the report Monday. It says the recommended figure is roughly five percent of the yearly cost of substance abuse.

Gov. Joe Manchin had instructed the board to draft a new strategy coordinating efforts to reduce the toll of drug and alcohol abuse.

Manchin says he's making the effort his highest priority.

The plan calls for establishing community groups in all 55 counties to organize local solutions to the problem and channel state funding.

It also wants all secondary schools in the state to conduct student surveys every two years to gather more data on the extent of the problem.

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