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Drug Abuse Still Worse Epidemic

Long after COVID-19 is just a bad memory, substance abuse will remain a scourge in Ohio and West Virginia. Years from now, the death toll from it will dwarf the number of fatalities from the virus.

We were reminded of the insidious evil of drug abuse last week, when state officials in Ohio added a new drug, isotonitazene, to the list of substances deemed to be illegal and with no medical purpose.

Isotonitazene is one more in a long list of synthetic opioids, drugs created in laboratories. Ingenious criminal chemists specialize in finding new ones, in the hope they will remain legal long enough for their sellers to reap millions in profits.

For now, our focus seems to be the coronavirus epidemic. The sooner we can get back to waging all-out war on drug pushers, the better.

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