evidence: Annual drug overdose deaths in West Virginia appear to be continuing to slow after a 2020 spike, according to preliminary data from the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. According to the data — which is subject to change as more information is released — at least 1,383 people fatally overdosed in West Virginia in 2023, which is about 77 overdoses per 100,000 people. That’s nearly a 2% decrease from 2022 but still more than double the national rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [...] Prior to 2020, overdose deaths in West Virginia peaked in 2017, breaking 1,000 for the first time as 1,019 residents reportedly died that year. More than 85% of overdoses that year included an opioid. Rates declined in both 2018 and 2019.