West Virginia still leads the nation in the rate of drug overdose deaths.
The Register-Herald reports the latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in West Virginia is 52 per 100,000 in 2016. Ohio was second, with a rate of 39.1 New Hampshire is third.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there were more than 63,600 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. The deadliest drug was the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which was linked to more than 19,400 deaths. The rate of drug overdose deaths connected to synthetic opioids doubled in just one year.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Virginia
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Zurich CEO Says Staff Let Go as Regulator Finma Imposes Partial Sales Ban 
Record-Low Danube Water Levels Leave Boats Beached, Reveal Decades-Old Shipwrecks 
American Family to Acquire Bowhead Specialty in $1.2B Cash Deal 
Cost of a Data Breach Reaches Record $5 Million on Average 
