Thread: West Virginians overdosing big-time, but no dough

Record number of overdose deaths and no money to pay for da funeral.


Analysis | Drugs are killing so many people in West Virginia that the state can’t keep up with the funerals


The Washington Post
Christopher Ingraham



© David Ryder/Reuters A man injects himself with heroin using a needle obtained from the People's Harm Reduction Alliance, the nation's largest needle-exchange program, in Seattle.

Deaths in West Virginia have overwhelmed a state program providing burial assistance for needy families for at least the fifth year in a row, causing the program to be nearly out of money four months before the end of the fiscal year, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR). Funeral directors in West Virginia say the state's drug overdose epidemic, the worst in the nation, is partly to blame.



West Virginia's indigent burial program, which budgets about $2 million a year for funeral financial assistance, had already been under pressure from the aging of the baby-boom generation. The program offers an average of $1,250 to help cover funeral expenses for families who can't otherwise afford them.

In the current fiscal year ending June 30, "1,508 burials have been submitted for payment through the Indigent Burial Program,” according to Allison Adler, a spokesman for state DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch. “There are funds remaining for 63 additional burials.”

The program has been around for decades, according to Adler, but only began running out of funds starting in 2013. In 2014, the program ran out of money in June. By 2015, the program's budget was depleted by March, similar to where it stands this year.

Adler didn't respond to a question on the role drug overdoses have played in the program running out of money. But funeral directors such as Robert C. Kimes of the West Virginia Funeral Directors Association blame skyrocketing overdose deaths for the current troubles. In 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Virginia's drug overdose death rate stood at 41.5 cases per 100,000 residents, the highest rate in the country and nearly three times the national average. In 1999, the state's overdose fatality rate was below average.


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Nationally, drug overdose deaths accounted for fewer than two out of every 100 fatalities in 2015. But in West Virginia, overdoses claim more than three out of every 100 fatalities. And among certain demographic groups, the likelihood of overdose is much higher: roughly 8 percent of all fatalities among white men age 35 to 64, for instance, and over 28 percent of deaths among white males age 15 to 34.

The state's funeral directors are on the front lines of this trend. “When you get an overdose, typically it's going to be a younger individual who's not financially in a great position,” Kimes said. “I've heard from several funeral directors that the majority of [overdose deaths they deal with] are addressed via the indigent burial program.”

West Virginia is somewhat unique in providing a state-level program for indigent burials, Kimes said. The majority of states don't provide such services at the state level, and most of the ones that do limit them to recipients of Medicaid, SNAP or other social programs for the poor. In many states, funeral assistance is left to the discretion of individual counties or cities.

West Virginia expects a half-billion-dollar budget shortfall in the next fiscal year, making relief from the state unlikely. Social service agencies report being overwhelmed by the number of overdose and addiction cases. In the city of Huntington (population 49,000), for instance, authorities responded to 26 heroin overdose cases in one four-hour span last year.

A Charleston Gazette-Mail investigation last year found that between 2007 and 2012, as the state's drug overdose epidemic skyrocketed, drug wholesalers shipped over 780 million doses of opiate painkillers hydrocodone and oxycodone to the state, or roughly "433 pain pills for every man, woman and child in West Virginia.” Those two drugs killed more than 1,700 West Virginians during that time period, the investigation found.

“That's not the kind of business you want” as a funeral director, Kimes said. “You hate to see a young person's life thrown away.”


Analysis | Drugs are killing so many people in West Virginia that the state can?t keep up with the funerals

Probably has more to do with the ever decreasing quality of life in America than the drugs themselves. Death rates in America have also spiked among White male adults due to liver damage from alcohol.

Originally Posted by BobR

Probably has more to do with the ever decreasing quality of life in America than the drugs themselves. Death rates in America have also spiked among White male adults due to liver damage from alcohol.

Yes Bob, there have been more and more articles and stats on that.

Seems to be happening in the Mid-west and such.

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

Originally Posted by BobR

Probably has more to do with the ever decreasing quality of life in America than the drugs themselves. Death rates in America have also spiked among White male adults due to liver damage from alcohol.

Yes Bob, there have been more and more articles and stats on that.

Seems to be happening in the Mid-west and such.

Have been told heroin use has been a major problem in Ohio for quite a few years and has become prevalent even in the rural areas. Read a story about a farmer who has lost 2 of his 3 kids to overdose. Drug dealers go into the rural areas and set up "trap houses" in trailer homes.

I raised two daughters in small town Ohio. It was a wonderful place back then. Last year I was told my niece was a heroin junkie. I said how can that be? She is from rural Wisconsin. How did we adults let this happen?

Originally Posted by tunk

Last year I was told my niece was a heroin junkie. I said how can that be? She is from rural Wisconsin. How did we adults let this happen?

Just out of curiosity, was your niece prescribed pain killers by a doctor prior to becoming a junkie?

In many cases of opiate addicts in today's world, a lot of them were prescribed Oxycontin for pain. They became addicted and eventually their doctors cut off their prescriptions, leaving them with the need to turn to street opiates to satisfy their addiction.

The makers of Oxy fudged their stats to get FDA approval and claimed it had an extremely low addiction rate. Doctors started handing them out like candy and here we are today.

Also, it makes one wonder about the real reasons for the Afghan war. The Taliban had eradicated the opium crops and since the invasion Afghanistan is back at the top as the worlds main provider of heroin. All that money being laundered through the banking system. Hmmm.

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

Originally Posted by BobR

Probably has more to do with the ever decreasing quality of life in America than the drugs themselves. Death rates in America have also spiked among White male adults due to liver damage from alcohol.

Yes Bob, there have been more and more articles and stats on that.

Seems to be happening in the Mid-west and such.

Have been told heroin use has been a major problem in Ohio for quite a few years and has become prevalent even in the rural areas. Read a story about a farmer who has lost 2 of his 3 kids to overdose. Drug dealers go into the rural areas and set up "trap houses" in trailer homes.

Heroin is in Kitsap also.

I don't know how proflic, but it's there. There have been a couple of articles on H in Kitsap in the last 2 years. One of my old high school classmates' 17 year old daughter ODed last year in Kitsap.

My second cousin overdosed in Seattle about 12 years ago also, but it's more widespread now.

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

Originally Posted by BobR

Probably has more to do with the ever decreasing quality of life in America than the drugs themselves. Death rates in America have also spiked among White male adults due to liver damage from alcohol.

Yes Bob, there have been more and more articles and stats on that.

Seems to be happening in the Mid-west and such.

Have been told heroin use has been a major problem in Ohio for quite a few years and has become prevalent even in the rural areas. Read a story about a farmer who has lost 2 of his 3 kids to overdose. Drug dealers go into the rural areas and set up "trap houses" in trailer homes.

Heroin is in Kitsap also.

I don't know how proflic, but it's there. There have been a couple of articles on H in Kitsap in the last 2 years. One of my old high school classmates' 17 year old daughter ODed last year in Kitsap.

My second cousin overdosed in Seattle about 12 years ago also, but it's more widespread now.

Sorry to hear about that CP. And condolences to your family. I have some personal stories but not comfortable sharing them.

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

Originally Posted by BobR

Probably has more to do with the ever decreasing quality of life in America than the drugs themselves. Death rates in America have also spiked among White male adults due to liver damage from alcohol.

Yes Bob, there have been more and more articles and stats on that.

Seems to be happening in the Mid-west and such.

Have been told heroin use has been a major problem in Ohio for quite a few years and has become prevalent even in the rural areas. Read a story about a farmer who has lost 2 of his 3 kids to overdose. Drug dealers go into the rural areas and set up "trap houses" in trailer homes.

Heroin is in Kitsap also.

I don't know how proflic, but it's there. There have been a couple of articles on H in Kitsap in the last 2 years. One of my old high school classmates' 17 year old daughter ODed last year in Kitsap.

My second cousin overdosed in Seattle about 12 years ago also, but it's more widespread now.

Sorry to hear about that CP. And condolences to your family. I have some personal stories but not comfortable sharing them.

Yes, it's not a warm topic.

I've never seen H in person but I know that it's highly addictive.

This thread would be a good fit in the "middle aged dying Americans" thread running now in World News.

There's a heroin epidemic in the states created by the widespread prescription and illegal use of opioids.

Heroin deaths really started climbing in 2010, so I would imagine it's all Obama's fault.

The 2016 Opioid Addiction Facts & Figures from the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) illustrates a definite connection between opioid-painkillers and heroin.
Four out of five people who use heroin first misused prescription painkillers.
94 percent of people who responded to a 2014 survey of people in treatment for opioid addiction stated that they opted to use heroin because prescription opioid-painkillers are more expensive and harder to find than heroin.

What is Causing the Heroin Epidemic |12 Keys Rehab

What's causing the heroin epidemic?

Oxycontin.

The pharmaceutical companies are happy enough to make big money off smack by shotting it as a regular drug, and here's the result.

In this thread:

Forenginers acting like they know some shit about US drug problems.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Heroin deaths really started climbing in 2010

Son....

Fentanyl is the reason for the death spike no 2 ways about it and thats entirely due to China and the Dark Web. India also. Foreign people selling that shit wholesale and dealers cutting heroin with it. Its so ridiculously super powerful its unreal.

Its true a lot of people get exposed to opiates through the doctor but thats not the reason for whats happening.

Heroin coming from south of the border and fent coming in through the postage system makes for a really bad situation.

There is a drug culture in the USA as well that exposes people to all kinds of shit. You cant get through schooling without being exposed to drugs.

There is a trifecta of issues going on.

Given that everyone dies sooner than later, does it really matter? The oft quoted cliche that "he died too young" ignores the quite reasonable supposition he may have been a total cvunt and his passing was richly deserved. Redneck morons and feckless drug addicts are worthless trash in any event by definition so, again, who cares.

Originally Posted by Slick

In this thread:

Forenginers acting like they know some shit about US drug problems.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Heroin deaths really started climbing in 2010

Son....

And once again Slick shows a singular ignorance of his own country.

Can you read graphs Slicky boy? If not, I can always help you.

And by the way, ironically the trend may have started when states started to more tightly control access to prescription opioids in an attempt to stop an epidemic.

Go figure.

It's at least a big part of the equation, here's one link:

Death by Fentanyl

Whoa Slicky Boy, I would have expected at least some kind of trumpkin deflection by now.

Originally Posted by Albert Shagnasty2017

What's causing the heroin epidemic?

Oxycontin.

The pharmaceutical companies are happy enough to make big money off smack by shotting it as a regular drug, and here's the result.

True, but if someone was living a happy fulfilling life, why would he or she want to abuse a drug that anesthetises your emotions and consciousness?

Originally Posted by BobR

Originally Posted by Albert Shagnasty2017

What's causing the heroin epidemic?

Oxycontin.

The pharmaceutical companies are happy enough to make big money off smack by shotting it as a regular drug, and here's the result.

True, but if someone was living a happy fulfilling life, why would he or she want to abuse a drug that anesthetises your emotions and consciousness?

I don't think addicts "want" to abuse a drug, that's the point, isn't it?

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by BobR

Originally Posted by Albert Shagnasty2017

What's causing the heroin epidemic?

Oxycontin.

The pharmaceutical companies are happy enough to make big money off smack by shotting it as a regular drug, and here's the result.

True, but if someone was living a happy fulfilling life, why would he or she want to abuse a drug that anesthetises your emotions and consciousness?

I don't think addicts "want" to abuse a drug, that's the point, isn't it?

No Harry, I don't think many doctors are that stupid, that these drugs are prescribed for pain and reasonably safe if taken as directed by the person for whom they were prescribed. Doctors will also taper people off these drugs at the end of their pain therapy.

Addiction happens when they intentionally misused by the person for whom they were prescribed, or when the pills are diverted to someone else.

The penalties for doctors who become blind prescription writers is already quite stiff under Federal Law which covers all 50 states.
Doctor Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Illegally Prescribing Narcotics, Defrauding Government Programs

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/d...ing-government

Originally Posted by BobR

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by BobR

Originally Posted by Albert Shagnasty2017

What's causing the heroin epidemic?

Oxycontin.

The pharmaceutical companies are happy enough to make big money off smack by shotting it as a regular drug, and here's the result.

True, but if someone was living a happy fulfilling life, why would he or she want to abuse a drug that anesthetises your emotions and consciousness?

I don't think addicts "want" to abuse a drug, that's the point, isn't it?

No Harry, I don't think many doctors are that stupid, that these drugs are prescribed for pain and reasonably safe

Well that's quite obviously arguable given the evidence.

^ Can we also agree it would be a damn shame if any attempt to stop this left those who are dying of cancer, or others who legitimately need serious pain relief unable to get it because of the fear of abuse?

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by Slick

In this thread:

Forenginers acting like they know some shit about US drug problems.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Heroin deaths really started climbing in 2010

Son....

And once again Slick shows a singular ignorance of his own country.

Can you read graphs Slicky boy? If not, I can always help you.

.....