Opioids

Under a new state law, needle exchange programs must now get local buy-in from county and city leaders. Without it, these programs can’t legally operate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released preliminary data Wednesday that estimates 100,000 people died in just a 12-month span -- from March 2020 to March 2021. During those months, 1,600 West Virginians passed away.

Dr. Rahul Gupta was named director of National Drug Control Policy and confirmed for the position by Congress on Thursday. Gupta is the first physician to serve in this role.

The plan, and priorities set by Biden’s Office of Drug Control Policy, highlight a shift to less punitive and evidence-based measures, said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

Organizers hope to distribute 8,000 doses of Naloxone at dozens of locations Wednesday.

On this West Virginia Morning, we take a look at charges against those from the Ohio Valley who took part in the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. Also, we take a look at where things stand in a civil trial Cabell County and Huntington against three major opioid distributors.

Their plea is for Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin to declare a local public health emergency concerning the spread of HIV, and the increase in opioid overdoses.

At the start of the trial on Monday in U.S. District Court in Charleston, lawyers for the three companies — AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson — blamed the opioid crisis on doctors who wrote too many prescriptions for highly addictive pain pills.

OxyContin’s maker may be bankrupt, but it’s spent more than $200,000 to keep 20-year-old court records sealed.

Under a bankruptcy plan filed late Monday, the OxyContin maker would pay $500 million up front, promising billions in future payments. Twenty-four states rejected the proposal.