RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A synthetic opioid was the deadliest drug in Virginia last year.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch this week reports fentanyl-related fatalities surpassed those related to heroin and prescription painkillers last year.
Of the 1,133 people who died due to opioid overdoses in 2016, fentanyl contributed to 618 deaths. Heroin contributed to 448, and prescription opioids contributed to 469 deaths.
Rosie Hobron is a forensic epidemiologist with the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. She says fentanyl is being used as a partial substitute for heroin and many people are overdosing because they don't know what they're buying.
It's cheaper to get fentanyl, which is typically developed in a warehouse. Heroin requires acreage to grow the necessary poppies.
The opioid crisis was declared a Virginia public health emergency in November.
Virginia Joins Other States
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Officials say Virginia is joining in an effort to expand access to opioid addition treatment for prisoners.
The Virginia Department of Corrections says Virginia is one of eight states picked by the National Governors Association for the "learning lab." Officials say the states will learn about initiatives in place in Massachusetts and create plans for how to get more offenders in opioid addiction treatment.
Virginia Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke says nine inmates have died in the state's facilities since 2015 due to heroin or fentanyl overdoses. Clark says he wants that number "reduced to zero."
The other states participating in the program are Alaska, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey and Washington.
