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An Illegal Market is Helping to Treat Opioid Addiction?

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On this West Virginia Morning, we explore the black market — not of opioids, but of medication to treat opioid addiction. We also bring you an update on Hurricane Florence’s potential impact here in the Mountain State, and we learn the latest on a CSX train derailment in Fayette County.

West Virginia agencies are mobilizing to respond to problems arising from Hurricane Florence.

The governor’s office says in a news release the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management activated its emergency operations center Wednesday.

The statement says 50 National Guard members are prepared to assist in locations across the state. Nearly 70 tractor-trailer loads of supplies have arrived at the Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing in Martinsburg.

In June 2016, a series of thunderstorms pelted a wide swath of West Virginia. Nine inches of rain fell in 36 hours in some areas, leaving 23 dead statewide and destroying thousands of homes, businesses and infrastructure.

The National Weather Service forecast says up to 4 inches of rain is possible in parts of the state through next week.

A train derailment this past weekend in the New River Gorge may have dropped coal into a tributary of the New River, according to an email released by the National Park Service Wednesday. Roxy Todd has more.

There’s a federally approved medication to treat opioid addiction. It can also be sold on the street and misused. Jake Harper of Side Effects Public Media spent several months reporting on this black market and he found that for many people, this market can be a force for good.

This story is part of a podcast from Side Effects Public Media called The Workaround. You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and there’s a link to the show at sideeffectspublicmedia.org.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Our news director is Jesse Wright. Our producer is Glynis Board.