The Problem

Controlled prescription drugs, heroin and fentanyl

The drug addiction and abuse problem is approaching a crisis level in West Virginia with the state now leading the entire nation in overdoses. Heroin, fentanyl and controlled prescription drugs (CPDs) are at the forefront of the problem and are responsible for the majority of the state’s overdoses. In 2016, almost 85 percent of drug overdoses were due to at least one opioid.1

The abuse of prescription medication has been a serious issue in the state for a while. But now, unfortunately, users are turning to the cheaper and more potent opioids heroin and fentanyl to get high.

Nationwide, among new heroin users, 75 percent report having abused prescription opioids before using heroin.2

 

1 West Virginia Health Statistics Center, Vital Statistics System, Drug Overdose Database, March 20, 2017.
2 Heroin Overdose Data. Center of Disease Control and Prevention. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/heroin.html

The Problem

One in 10 West Virginians in the tri-county area - Kanawha, Putnam and Cabell - are battling addiction.

Heroin, Fentanyl and Prescription Drugs: West Virginia’s Crisis

Heroin, fentanyl and controlled prescription drugs (CPDs) are at the forefront of the state's drug problem and are responsible for the majority of the overdoses.

Drug-Related Overdoses

West Virginia had the highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the nation in 2015.