CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A task force plans to recommend how Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin should distribute $7.5 million for substance abuse treatment in West Virginia.

The Governor's Advisory Council on Substance Abuse met for more than four hours Wednesday in downtown Charleston.

The panel divided into smaller groups to discuss treatment programs and projects in different regions across the state.

The council plans to issue a report with final recommendations to the governor by May 1. Tomblin will ultimately decide on the specific funding amounts for various substance abuse programs.

Tomblin pledged to allocate the $7.5 million after state lawmakers passed the governor's wide-ranging substance abuse bill in March. The legislation is designed to clamp down on prescription drug abuse and methamphetamine production.

"The governor will continue to look under every rock for substance abuse funding," said Hallie Mason, a council member who also serves as Tomblin's policy director.