1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
German election 2025Middle East crisisRussia's war in Ukraine
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV
HealthUnited States of America

Inside the US Opioid Crisis

Sarah Steffen
October 20, 2021

Huntington in West Virgina holds the sad record of most deaths from opioids in the USA. The Coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the opioid crisis, and the number of those dying from overdoses has increased dramatically. Find out how people in town cope with the ongoing crisis.

https://p.dw.com/p/41vdA

More than half a million people have died from opioids in the past two decades in the USA. 
What started with doctors prescribing legal painkillers – such as Oxycontin - has now spiraled into much more dangerous substances. Hardly anyone knows what's in them anymore. It's had an impact on almost everyone from doctors to policemen and women to factory workers.

 
One town that's been especially hard hit is Huntington in West Virginia. It's estimated that about 10 percent of the people living there are addicted to opioids. Everyone in town is affected in some way, and there's a lot of support for addicts. But many have lost hope that things will improve. 
 
Report: Julia Kastein

Sarah Steffen Author and editor with a keen interest on underreported crises.
Skip next section About the show

About the show

World in Progress Teaser Responsive

World in Progress

Stories that matter from around the world. For more info about the show, click here.

Go to show World in Progress