There are many causes behind the epidemic of opioid abuse in the U.S. , but chief among them are the unscrupulous drug manufacturers and suppliers who turn a blind heart to their products ’ addictive potential for the saki of profit . On Tuesday , the House Energy and Commerce Committee , as part of its on-going investigating into the crisis , called out two of these companionship by name .
The committee recover , among other things , that the small West Virginia townsfolk of Williamson — with only 2,900 residents — was inundate with more than 20 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills from 2006 to 2016 . The drugs were shipped to just two pharmacies , four blocks apart , with more than one-half sent by two regional distributor ground outside of the state , Miami - Luken and H.D. Smith .
Last week , the committee sent out letters to both companies , need to know why the spate in demand never raise a crimson flag for either . The letter weremade publictoday .
“ These numeral are outrageous , and we will get to the bottom of how this destruction was able-bodied to be unleash across West Virginia , ” committee Chairman Greg Walden , R - Ore. , and rank fellow member Frank Pallone Jr. , D - N.J. , said in a joint statement .
The investigation is only the modish to show how West Virginia , one of the states make intemperately by the crisis , became so overfull with prescription drug opioids . An probe by theCharleston Gazette - Mailfound in 2016 that almost 800 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills were dish out throughout the state ’s pharmacies from 2007 to 2012 — a figure all the more astounding yield that the state has only 1.8 million resident . As of 2016 , West Virginia had the country ’s high charge per unit of opioid overdose deaths . The U.S. as a whole saw more than 40,000 deaths make by opioids in 2016 .
[ House Energy and Commerce CommitteeviaCharleston Gazette - Mail ]
opioid crisisScience
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