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The Epidemic Of Opioid Usage In West Virginia, Kendra Lester, Carrington Hatfield
The Epidemic Of Opioid Usage In West Virginia, Kendra Lester, Carrington Hatfield
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
The opioid epidemic in West Virginia is a complex interplay of factors, including poverty, low education, and high unemployment rates, which contribute to higher rates of substance use and opioid-related deaths. The number of people injecting drugs has risen from 36% in 2005 to 54% in 2015. WV recorded 871 overdose deaths from all drugs in 2019 with 76.8% involving at least one opioid. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate and analyze the circumstances that contributed to West Virginia's opioid epidemic to determine if sociocultural factors, such as lifestyle, education, and demographics, influenced the epidemic as …