Lawmakers Vote to Add Addiction Treatment Beds

West Virginia lawmakers have voted to increase beds available at state-supported drug treatment facilities in response to the state’s opioid addiction epidemic.

The Senate’s unanimous vote Friday follows an earlier House vote to add beds and establish an addiction prevention and recovery fund.

It comes as lawmakers and Gov. Jim Justice remain divided over budget and tax plans with the legislative session scheduled to end Sunday.

West Virginia currently has more than 1,100 treatment beds but struggles to meet demand.

Unlike an earlier version, the latest bill doesn’t specify establishing 600 more treatment beds.

Funding would include settlements of lawsuits that accused wholesale drug distributors of flooding the state with prescription pain pills.

The state attorney general’s office has settled with 11 distributors for $47 million.