Rate of Drug Overdose Deaths Highest in Appalachia and Southwest

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefThe rate of drug overdoses in West Virginia was the highest in the nation in 2010 and doubled in 29 states between 1999 and 2010, according to a report released earlier this month by the Trust for America's Health.  The nonprofit research group reported that states in Appalachia and the Southwestern U.S. logged the most drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people. The report, financed with support from the Robert Wood Foundation, notes that a majority of the deaths were due to prescription drug abuse."Prescription drug-related deaths now outnumber ...