ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - In a story Oct. 7, The Associated Press reported that methamphetamine was flooding into southwestern Virginia, overtaking heroin as a drug of choice. This story has been clarified to show that the methamphetamine increase is in the region around Roanoke and not necessarily in all of southwestern Virginia.
The opioid crisis continues to plague the nation and Virginia. But methamphetamine is now flooding into parts of southwestern Virginia. It’s to the point that meth has overtaken heroin as a drug of choice that’s second only to marijuana in the Roanoke and New River valleys.
The Roanoke Times reported Sunday that police seizures of meth have skyrocketed. Fatal overdoses from meth are rare, but they are rising, too.
The uptick is not fueled by meth labs depicted on the TV show “Breaking Bad,” but by cheap crystal methamphetamine from Mexico.
Experts warn of the growing threat of stimulant drug abuse, whether it’s with illegal methamphetamines or prescription drugs such as Adderall.
The influx only complicates the already meager treatment options at a time when many state and federal grants are earmarked for opioid-related disorders.
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