West Virginia City Reports Overdose Deaths Doubled in 2018

Drug overdose deaths doubled in one West Virginia community last year.

The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register reports figures released Jan. 22 by Wheeling police show officers responded to 13 overdose deaths last year, compared with six in 2017 and three in 2016.

West Virginia has by far the nation’s highest rate of drug overdose deaths.

The Wheeling police report found there were 132 calls to police overall for overdoses in 2018, compared with 110 in 2017 and 98 in 2016.

Chief Shawn Schwertfeger says most overdoses involved opioids and some involved crystal methamphetamine.