(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Despite enormous settlements and creation of a foundation that says it is dedicated to preventing substance use disorder, supporting recovery and saving lives, a study this spring from WalletHub showed West Virginia STILL has the sixth-worst drug problem in the country.

Worse, the Mountain State remains first in the country for drug overdose deaths per capita.

We’re just not making the change some politicians hope we will believe is taking place.

West Virginia is 11th for drug arrests per capita, 15th for both opioid pain reliever prescriptions per 100 people and share of teenagers in grades 9-12 who tried marijuana for the first time before age 13. The Mountain State is 10th for drug use and addiction; 21st for the share of teenagers in grades 9-12 who say they were offered, sold or given an illegal drug on school property in the past year; and a pitiful 49th for “drug health issues and rehab rank.” That last category includes measures such as the share of adults who couldn’t get treatment for illicit drug use in the past year, substance abuse treatment facilities per 100,000 people using illicit drugs, share of Medicaid beneficiaries treated for substance use disorders, and other similar data.

We are first in the country for overdose deaths per capita, and dead last — 51st — for the percentage of adults with unmet drug-treatment needs.

In discussing the three worst overall states, WalletHub analysts noted New Mexico lags behind in adopting policies to discourage drug use or help people overcome it. Arkansas doesn’t have enough substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health social workers and counselors per capita. And Alaska has the highest share of children living with someone who is struggling with a drug or alcohol problem.

It is important to note that, according to World Population Review data, New Mexico, Arkansas and West Virginia are also among the five POOREST states in the country, with low median incomes and cripplingly high poverty rates.

What will it take for the elected officials scrambling for filthy, backward-looking and exploitative political points to understand that if they truly want to be seen as addressing this monster that continues to plague our state, they will work toward real progress?

They know what we need: an expanded and diversified economy, better education, better (and more affordable) access to all kinds of healthcare, efforts to improve quality of life in a way that is welcoming to everyone, and a public servant class that remembers its responsibility to us.

Why, then, do they perpetually support legislation that harkens back to the worst of what got us here in the first place?

Whatever excuse they make for themselves, they’ve got to know: No other state sees a higher rate of people dying because of it.