Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

An arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen, also known as Percocet. (AP/Patrick Sison) An arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen, also known as Percocet. (AP/Patrick Sison)

An arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen, also known as Percocet. (AP/Patrick Sison)

Louis Jacobson
By Louis Jacobson March 23, 2018

Does West Virginia lead the nation in overdose drug death rate? Yes

As he runs for a U.S. Senate seat, Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., is seeking targeted funding for states grappling with opioid addiction.

Jenkins co-sponsored the Federal Opioid Response Fairness Act with Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire and several other lawmakers, including fellow West Virginia Republican Rep. David McKinley.

The legislation, which awaits action in a House committee, would clarify that per capita overdose deaths should be a factor in distributing funding from the 21st Century Cures Act, a law passed in 2016 by overwhelming majorities in Congress and then signed into law by President Barack Obama.

In a March 20, 2018, press release to promote the bill, Jenkins wrote, "The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration announced on Monday that West Virginia will be receiving $330,000 in additional funding, as our state has the highest overdose death rate in the nation."

Is Jenkins correct that West Virginia has "the highest overdose death rate in the nation"? Yes, according to official statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the most recent full year for which data is available, 2016, the CDC reported that West Virginia had the highest death rate due to drug overdoses. Here’s a list of the top five states, which also include Kuster’s home state of New Hampshire.

State

Drug overdose death rate, per 100,000 residents

West Virginia

52.0

Featured Fact-check

Ohio

39.1

New Hampshire

39.0

Pennsylvania

37.9

Kentucky

33.5

 

The comparison isn’t close: West Virginia’s drug overdose death rate is a full one-third higher than the state with the second-highest rate, Ohio.

On May 8, Jenkins will face West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey in the Republican Senate primary. The winner will challenge the state’s Democratic senator, Joe Manchin.

Our ruling

Jenkins said that West Virginia "has the highest overdose death rate in the nation." That is accurate according to official federal data -- in fact, the comparison is not even close. We rate the statement True.

Share the Facts
6
1
7
PolitiFact rating logo PolitiFact Rating:
True
West Virginia "has the highest overdose death rate in the nation."
In a press release
Friday, March 23, 2018

Our Sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Louis Jacobson

Does West Virginia lead the nation in overdose drug death rate? Yes

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up