Heroin, Prescription Drug Deaths Outnumber Highway Fatalities in Virginia

More lives were lost in Virginia in 2014 from drugs than from crashes on the Commonwealth’s highways the same year, according to statistics recently released from state government.

In 2014, heroin and prescription drug overdoses claimed the lives of 728 Virginians, according to a report from the office of Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring. Of the 728 deaths, 210 were from heroin. In 2013, the number of drug-related deaths was 661.

As part of his continuing efforts to address a troubling rise in heroin and prescription drug overdose fatalities in the Commonwealth, Herring reported in on milestones in the first year of his Five Point Plan to Combat Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse.

• According to the Centers for Disease Control, heroin use more than doubled among young adults ages 18–25 in the past decade.
• More than 9 in 10 people who used heroin also used at least one other drug.
• 45% of people who used heroin were also addicted to prescription opioid painkillers.

While progress has been made in every segment of the plan, according to the latest data from the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, heroin and prescription drug fatalities are continuing to rise in the Commonwealth.

In 2014, 728 Virginians lost their lives to heroin and prescription drug overdoses, up from 661 in 2013. In the last five years, fatal overdoses have increased by 57 percent and nearly 3,000 Virginians have lost their lives.

Meanwhile, highway fatalities in Virginia have decreased, going from 741 in 2013 to 700 in 2014, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

In the year since launching a strategy to combat heroin and opiates in Virginia, Herring’s team has prosecuted 28 state and federal cases involving more than 95 kilos of heroin, won passage of three life-saving anti-overdose bills, held professionals accountable for making prescription opioids illegally available and launched several prevention and education initiatives with more coming in the months ahead, according to a news release from the AG’s office.

The plan was developed after Herring’s first statewide public safety tour in which three quarters of localities expressed concern with a rising tide of heroin and prescription drug overdose fatalities.

“This heroin and prescription drug epidemic is a public health issue, a public safety and law enforcement issue, and most importantly, it’s a family issue. The rising and tragic death toll adds a dose of reality and a sense of urgency to our efforts and those of our local, state and federal partners,” Herring said.

“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, the infrastructure we’ve helped build, and the awareness we’ve brought to the problem, but we must remain steadfast in our efforts and remember that behind every overdose and every case of addiction there are families and communities who suffer. Meeting folks who have lost loved ones serves as my motivation every single day and I will not waiver in my commitment to fight this deadly epidemic.”

“This problem can only be addressed through a comprehensive effort and I am happy to work with all local, state and federal stakeholders to attack this growing epidemic,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.

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