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Lawmakers Outline Legislation to Limit First-Time Opioid Prescriptions

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On The Legislature Today, we bring you a special focus on West Virginia’s opioid epidemic. First, we take you to the small town of Kermit where the tragic toll of the epidemic has weighed heavily on residents, and then, host Andrea Lannom chats with two lawmakers who outline legislation addressing the issue on multiple fronts.

Kermit, in Mingo County, was the first town in the country to file suit against large pharmaceutical companies for flooding their community with opioids. Reporter Jessica Lilly brings us this story.

House Health & Human Resources Committee Chairman Del. Joe Ellington and Sen. Ron Stollings, a member of the Senate Health & Human Resources Committee, join host Andrea Lannom to discuss epidemic and the legislation to combat it. Both Ellington and Stollings are also physicians.

The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s source for daily legislative news and information.  The only live television program covering the West Virginia Legislature, the broadcast features reports from the Senate, House and committee meetings with in-depth interviews and analysis of the legislative process in West Virginia.

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  • 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. – The West Virginia Channel

The Legislature Today can also be heard at 6 p.m. weeknights on WVPB’s statewide radio network.
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