CHARLESTON – The opioid abuse crisis in West Virginia, which has needlessly claimed so many lives, seems to have faded out of the public discourse in recent months.
While it’s not as headline-grabbing as a virus wreaking havoc across the globe, one simple fact remains: Opioid abuse is still the public health crisis of our time in West Virginia.
A newfound virus doesn’t make the reality of addiction and drug abuse sting any less for families grieving a loved one who died of an overdose.
There is a lot of pain to think about when one considers opioid abuse, but there is also hope.
The actions of our office have led to significant reductions in the supply of deadly, addictive drugs like oxycodone and hydrocodone.
In fact, we have seen a 51 percent decline in prescriptions for opioids since I took office in 2013.
Some of this decrease was brought about by our 2017 lawsuit against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration over its broken policy of previously setting production quotas for many drugs – and particularly opioids – based on what manufacturers thought they could sell in a year rather than what was medically or scientifically necessary.
Opioid quotas have been trending downward since DEA adopted reforms triggered by our lawsuit. Diversion is down.
For instance, the proposed 2021 quotas slash the production of hydrocodone by 9 percent and reduce oxycodone production by 13 percent.
That is roughly 500 pounds of highly-addictive painkillers that will never make it to market, where they could be diverted for abuse.
Our office also made strides in continuing to fight drug abuse with recent lawsuits against four national chains for their role in distributing an excessive amount of opioids in the Mountain State.
Those cases follow other lawsuits – filed in 2019 and still pending – against five opioid manufacturers.
Since January 2016, our office has secured more than $84 million in settlements with 13 opioid distributors – all combined, the largest pharmaceutical settlements of any kind in state history.
These enforcement actions demonstrate that our office will not stop holding accountable any culpable aspect of the pharmaceutical supply chain. At the same time we continue pursuing a holistic approach that recognizes the importance of education, prevention and treatment for those who need it most.
This year, we had an overwhelming 3,366 entries from 3,521 students at 91 elementary and middle schools in the ‘Kids Kick Opioids’ public service announcement contest – the highest participation since the program began.
Our office continues to fight against prescription drug abuse by participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, as well as offering a prescription drug collection site at the State Capitol that is accessible all year to those looking to dispose of their unused, unwanted or expired medications.
Each bottle turned in makes a difference by decreasing the number of pills available for misuse and abuse.
Our office has also had successful outreach efforts to middle school students, high school student athletes and the faith-based community.
However, like everyone else, we’ve had to adapt and make some changes due to COVID-19.
The common thread in these public health crises is that multitudes of people must work together toward a common goal, whether is it slowing the spread of an illness or saving lives from opioid addiction.
Together, we can do great things for our state.
Continuing our relentless fight against opioid abuse will help West Virginia reach her full potential.
Morrisey is West Virginia's Attorney General.
