A leading lawmaker wants Gov. Joe Manchin to support raising the beer tax to fund an ambitious plan to reduce substance abuse.

House Health and Human Resources chairman Don Perdue said in a Friday letter to Manchin that treating drug and alcohol abuse is an urgent long-term need.

Last fall, a policy board responded to a request from Manchin by recommending a plan to address substance that would require $23.5 million a year.

Manchin said then that he wouldn't let the recession hold up efforts to remedy substance abuse. But there was no funding for the program in the spending proposal he made to the Legislature last month.

A call to Manchin's office was not immediately returned Friday.

©2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.