By David Kirk, Times West Virginian
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-1, wants to find the root cause of the opioid epidemic that is ravaging the state of West Virginia, and to do so, he met with several officials Tuesday.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the amount of drug overdose deaths per capita and has been for years.
While many are quick to blame the epidemic on socio-economics, McKinley is skeptical that West Virginia’s poverty and education issues are the cause.
And while the next five states on the opioid list have shifted, but none of them share West Virginia’s rates of poverty or education.
Currently sitting at No. 2 is Delaware, a state ranked much higher in health, education and wealth than West Virginia. McKinley posits that if socio-economics are to blame, why aren’t Mississippi, North Dakota or Louisiana — states on par with West Virginia — in the top five for opioid deaths? …