Abstract

This study analyzes the severity of the opioid epidemic in Mercer County, WV and the use of methadone maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder, positing that the use of methadone further perpetuates the opioid epidemic in the county. Taking into consideration economic and demographic factors, as well present policy implementation and existing literature on the risk of addiction, diversion, and impact of long-term methadone maintenance. This study concludes that the use of methadone is perpetuating the opioid crisis. The perpetuation of the crisis is due to methadone’s pharmacological makeup coupled with disparities outlined in literature regarding “Diseases of Despair” which include racial demographics, income, educational attainment and rates of depression and mental illness. While there is no exact date that pinpoints the beginning of the opioid epidemic in the United States, the general consensus is that it began in the mid-1990’s when Purdue Pharmaceuticals unveiled their slow-release oxycodone formula Oxycontin1,2. According to the Centers for Disease Control, West Virginia leads the nation in overdose deaths. Data released shows poisoning deaths in the state increased from 28.9 per 100,000 in 2010 to 52 per 100,000 in 20163. Mercer County, WV was fourth in the state for opioid related overdose deaths from 2001 to 20154. Director of Community Connects, a Mercer County based non-profit that focuses on the opioid epidemic in the region, Greg Puckett claims that per capita Mercer leads the state in OD deaths 5 and the county is considered to be a high intensity drug trafficking area6. Both the state and county have implemented policies aimed at countering the impact of the epidemic. This includes a prescription monitoring program overseen by the state Board of Pharmacy, Substance Abuse Early Intervention targeting youth between the ages of 14 and 17. Both Adult and Teen Court programs, as well as Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT), they have also pledged increased investment in treatment centers and the softening of regulation on those who operate Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs. These policies have had a measured effect on the prescription rates of opiate derived pharmaceuticals, from 190.4 per 100 residents in 20077 to 119.3 prescriptions per 100 residents in 20168. Yet the question remains: why has the county, like the state, seen an increase in opioid related overdose deaths? In 2015 the county suffered 57.2 deaths per 100,000 persons, which increased to 65.2 deaths per 100,000 persons in 20169. With policies from all levels of government focusing on curtailing the issue, it persists.

How to Cite