Two Counties Received Nearly 55 Million Pain Pills From 2006-12

The Washington Post on July 19 reported county-level use of prescription pain pills in the United States from 2006 through 2012.

According to the Post’s reporting, Blair County received 43.9 million prescription pain pills for that period, enough for 49 pills per person per year. In Bedford County, 11 million prescription pain pills were distributed, enough for 31 pills per person per year.

The Washington Post states that, “The Post believes this is a critically important set of data, which is why we are making it public and accessible to readers and other journalists. We think there are hundreds of stories within this data set and need your help to understand what it means to you and your community.”

The Post stated that its source of information was that the Post gained access to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System, known as ARCOS, as the result of a court order.

According to the website, “The Post and HD Media, which publishes the Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia, waged a year-long legal battle for access to the database, which the government and the drug industry had sought to keep secret.”

The version of the database published by The Post allows readers to learn how much hydrocodone and oxycodone went to individual states and counties, and which companies and distributors were responsible.

The site also includes maps, downloadable raw data gathered by the Post and descriptions of how the Post did the research work. Additionally, the Post article states which pharmacies in each county received the most prescription pain pills.

To view the information, go to the Washington Post’s website at http://www.washingtonpost.com and search for “The Opioid Files.” The website’s search function can be accessed by clicking on the magnifying glass icon at the very top left of the Post’s main website page, in the black bar across the top.

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