Study: Fentanyl-Related Deaths Spiked 122% In West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (CBS Local) — Fentanyl-related deaths have skyrocketed in West Virginia even as prescription-related opioid deaths declined, according to a new study.
Researchers analyzed the number of fentanyl deaths from 2015 to 2017 and found that deaths rose by 122%. Prescription opioid-related deaths decreased by 75% in those same two years.
The increase is partly blamed on illegal fentanyl imports from China, according to Gordon Smith, an epidemiologist with the West Virginia Unive