West Virginia Official Says Miner Drug Abuse Rising

The director of West Virginia’s mine safety office says there is a growing substance abuse problem among miners.

Director Eugene White of the Office of Mine Health, Safety and Training told legislators last month that more than 800 miners have failed drug tests over the last three years, according to The Register-Herald.

This year, White said 214 mining certificates have been suspended because of drug abuse. He said prescription drugs are the most commonly detected substance, while marijuana is second.

While White said the number of substance abusers is a small percentage of all miners in the state, the statistics are still alarming.

Besides current miners, White said 165 people failed pre-employment drug and alcohol screening.

Related:

• 550 West Virginia Coal Miners Flunk Drug Tests
• Report: West Virginia Leads U.S. in Prescription Drug Overdoses
• Southeastern States Battle Against Prescription Drug/Opioid Abuse
• West Virginia Looks to Tackle Highest Drug Overdose Rate in Nation

Topics Virginia