West Virginia has suffered unbelievable loss from the opioid epidemic that has scourged our streets for almost a decade. Unfortunately, as prescription opioid overdoses continue to decline, we are still seeing too much death in our communities. Tragically, deaths from drug overdoses reached a record of more than 93,000 in 2020, rising by more than 21,000, or nearly 30 percent, from 2019, according to provisional data released by the National Center for Health Statistics, eclipsing the record set in 2019.
As the COVID-19 lockdowns sent people into their homes and while job losses and human losses continued to mount, many people turned to illicit drugs to cope with the pain. Mexican drug cartels and Chinese drug smugglers seized on this opportunity by flooding the streets with illicit fentanyl, an extremely powerful and deadly drug. Expanded border security and increased enforcement to the south are a necessity if we are going to prevent more death in our communities. The Trump administration recognized this reality, but the new Biden administration continues to fall short with the border crisis continuing to worsen and border encounters hitting a 21-year-high.
The CDC cites synthetic opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl, as the primary driver of these increased overdose deaths. During this 12-month period, 37 of the 38 U.S. jurisdictions with available synthetic opioid data reported increases in synthetic opioid-involved overdose deaths, 18 of these jurisdictions reported increases greater than 50 percent.
The answer to stemming the tide of the opioid epidemic is quality, affordable treatment programs, while preventing the expanding use of illicit fentanyl in American communities. Now with the landmark $26 billion settlement announced in mid-July, West Virginia communities have the option to get real help that is desperately needed.
States across the country should jump at the opportunity that this settlement has presented. While I believe that all parties involved in the opioid epidemic must account for their actions, a drawn-out legal fight that might take years is not the way to go.
For example, Oklahoma’s recent $465 million ruling against Johnson & Johnson, is currently under appeal and there is no guarantee that the ruling will hold or a timeline as to when the litigation will be finalized. West Virginia has an offer of more than that ruling with the latest settlement that will make valuable resources available to hospitals, family members and first responders.
I have seen firsthand the devastation that illicit fentanyl can have on a community and family. We need real action now, not drawn-out legal fights that have flashy headlines. Unfortunately, for pain patients and their loved ones, these legal fights do not work toward the creation of a system built on acceptance and treatment but instead does nothing to shut down the system of addiction and further delays the grieving process.
While it might not be a perfect solution, we do have a suitable option available to us which would be the first real step toward real change since President Trump declared a public health emergency back in 2017. It is time to stop the endless blame game and get to work providing real relief and changes before this epidemic claims more lives in West Virginia.
Chris Trent is Vice Chairman of the 3rd congressional district for the West Virginia Republican Party.