Cabell County On Track for Record Number of Heroin Deaths

Cabell County has recorded 30 heroin overdose deaths this year, putting it on track to top a record 34 deaths reported in 2013 and 2014.

The Herald-Dispatch reports that the county’s heroin OD fatality rate is nearly 13 times higher than the national average.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says heroin’s deadly toll nationwide nearly tripled from 2010 to 2013.

National and local experts trace Huntington’s heroin crisis to prescription painkillers, such as the opioid-based drugs oxycodone and hydrocodone.

Nationally, rising heroin deaths are attributed to the inconsistent purity of heroin, differing tolerances and the mixing of heroin with other substances.

There are no easy answers for why local addicts die at such a higher rate.