PROP Act is remedy for opioid abuse

West Virginia has the highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in the country — more than double the national average. This drug abuse epidemic is a tragedy that we cannot afford to ignore. It ravages our communities, rips families apart, stunts the development of our youth and harms our economy.   

Overuse or addiction of prescription pain medication is one of leading causes of opioid addiction and often leads to heroin use. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, people who abuse opioid painkillers like Oxycontin are 19 times more likely to start using heroin than people who do not abuse those painkillers. Even more striking, eight out of 10 people who use heroin abused painkillers first.

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