Dr. James Berry, West Virginia University’s director of Addiction Services, says data from the Drug Enforcement Administration revealing the targeted distribution of pain pills and the corresponding rise in overdose deaths is alarming, if unsurprising to those who treat addiction.

“With greater exposure to an addictive substance, you will find a greater number of people devastated by addiction. Sadly, rural communities in Appalachia were systematically flooded with an obscene amount of pain pills and we have suffered mightily as a result.” - Dr. James Berry, interim chair, WVU Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry and director of Addiction Services

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-WVU-

pp/07/19/19

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TYPE OF ARTICLE
Expert Pitch
SECTION
CHANNELS
Drugs and Drug Abuse Pain Pharmaceuticals Rural Issues Substance Abuse U.S. Politics Addiction
KEYWORDS
Opioids Pharmaceuticals Opioid Abuse Epidemic
COMMENTS | COMMENTING POLICY