Tackling West Virginia’s drug problem

West Virginians know learn how to deal with onerous issues. We confronted a lethal foe greater than two years in the past, and many people jumped into motion -doing every thing in our energy to defeat COVID-19. That tough work is bringing us nearer to transitioning out of the grip the virus had on us. And through that point, public officers shared a standard purpose to avoid wasting lives.

One other plague by no means left us, nonetheless. In keeping with WalletHub’s “States With the Greatest Drug Issues” report, West Virginia has the most important drug drawback within the nation, utilizing knowledge for the interval ending April 2021. That could be a massive drawback.

The Mountain State has a mean of 81.4 drug overdoses per 100,000 residents, practically eight instances as excessive as in South Dakota, which has the fewest.

For regulation enforcement, which incorporates components akin to drug arrests per capita, worker drug testing legal guidelines and prescription drug monitoring legal guidelines, West Virginia is third. For drug use and habit, we’re fourth. However for drug well being points and rehab, the Mountain State is twenty third. We’re a depressing forty eighth for fewest folks receiving substance abuse therapy.

Then again, states that carried out nicely within the report had been Minnesota, Hawaii, Utah, Idaho and Iowa. It appears as if public officers in West Virginia must be clamoring to study all they will about how these states are weathering this storm.

And, after all, they need to maintain themselves to the identical commonplace in combating this plague that they did COVID-19. Do what is critical, irrespective of whether or not it appears politically fashionable; minimize the purple tape; hold residents knowledgeable; rejoice successes; and work to deliver therapeutic and hope.

Within the case of substance abuse, the 1st step within the Mountain State is overcoming the stigma and apathy related to habit and psychological well being points. Step two is setting apart political showboating in favor of working to deliver higher training, true financial transition, improvement and job development to this state.

It’s tough. We’ve proved we are able to do tough issues. It’s time to, really, face down this monster, too.