US drug czar testifies in WVa lawsuit against opioid makers

By JOHN RABY
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The new White House drug czar has testified that the opioid epidemic got so bad in drug-ravaged West Virginia that the state was having trouble finding foster parents to care for children. Dr. Rahul Gupta was one of the first witnesses whose video deposition was played at a bench trial Tuesday. Several pharmaceutical manufacturers are accused of contributing to the state’s opioid crisis. Substance abuse in West Virginia drove a huge increase in foster placements. Gupta is the state’s former chief health officer. He says the state had trouble finding parents who could pass drug tests in order to have foster children in their homes.