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West Virginia Suffers Record Number of Fatal Drug Overdoses
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Cabell County is leading West Virginia in the number of fatal overdoses for the second year in a row.
909 people died of drug overdoses in West Virginia in 2017, an increase from the previous record of 887, set in 2016. Overdose deaths seemed to slow during late 2017, though the state Health Statistics Center says that could be due to reporting delays.
Last year’s increase was fueled by fentanyl-caused overdose deaths. But the center’s data also show a rise in non-opioid drug overdose deaths from methamphetamine, amphetamine and cocaine. Cabell County reports a 35 percent drop in overdoses so far this year, compared to 2017.
West Virginia has the highest overdose death rate in the country.