RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — The total cost of the opioid epidemic in Virginia increased in 2023 from $3.5 billion in 2021 to $5.2 billion, according to the VCU Center on Society and Health, with its cost in Hampton Roads coming out to nearly $800 million.
This was determined by looking at four major sectors across the state — childcare, criminal justice, healthcare and lost labor, with the last accounting for around $3.41 billion lost in 2023.
“The largest impact was seen in those lost labor costs primarily from fatal overdoses,” said Derek Chapman, director of VCU’s Center on Society and Health. “That’s really a lifetime of lost wages, potential future wages for families as well as a lifetime of lost workforce productivity.”…