Drug firms have poured 782 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills into West Virginia over the last six years, and shipments have doubled into Wyoming County, where the overdose rate leads the nation, a Charleston Gazette-Mail investigation found.
West Virginia is at the forefront of the country’s opioid addiction epidemic and, in 2015, had the highest rate of death due to drug overdose. Since 1999, opioid overdoses have quadrupled.
"These numbers will shake even the most cynical observer," former Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne told the Gazette-Mail. "Distributors have fed their greed on human frailties and to criminal effect. There is no excuse and should be no forgiveness."
By acquiring previously confidential drug shipping sales records from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Gazette-Mail was able to take a close look at the huge pill problem in the state. The paper sued for the findings, and drug companies and their lawyers fought to keep the information secret.
Some of the findings:
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
5 comments:
This sounds as though the hammer should fall on these pharmacies, ordering physicians, and the drug distributors. 9 million pills at just one pharmacy in a town with a population under 500? And a bell didn't ring?
They don't call it Hillbilly Heroin for nothing.
Bell did ring 1005am...it was the sound of CHA CHING!
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ The almighty dollar is the highest and rules!!!!
Sad!
Perhaps Mr Trump can get this sorted out.
He's probably the only one not owned by Big Pharma.
No one goes to prison EXCEPT the guy that sells a hundred of them to an undercover cop.
Drug dealing is drug dealing.
The DEA goes into a doctors office and questions (under threat of bad things happening to the doctor) his prescription of percocet to some of his patients.
Maybe the number of pills he prescribed caught their attention.
But the SAME DEA AGENTS iddn't notice MILLIONS of pills going to a place wheere the population was mostly in triple digits???
I keep telling you -- it's government agents, cops, military commanders, state officals, etc, making the drug trade so hard to control. It's NOT some ghetto crime ring making sure FIVE MILLION tabs of oxy gets shipped to West Virginia.
Put some CEO's in prison. Oh. Right. You don't think the CEO knows how much and where his products are shipped. And the DEA has NEVER spoken to him, either, nor has the State Police, or the FBI. Not a single reporter has asked THAT question.
I know. Thinking is SO hard.
Keep cheering. It's a lot easier.
Post a Comment