Forbes magazine has ranked West Virginia as the most medicated state in the nation.
West Virginians use the most retail prescription drugs per capita, according to the report.
The business magazine found that states with older and sicker populations tend to use more prescriptions.
West Virginia has the highest rate of adult arthritis in the country as well as high rates of tobacco use and obesity.
The state had 17.2 retail prescriptions filled per capita, followed by Missouri, 15.9, Tennessee, 15.8, Alabama, 15.7, and Kentucky, 15.4.
The least medicated states are Alaska, California and Hawaii.
The magazine used 2006 data from the Kaiser Family Foundation and a national-level prescription and patient tracking service.
In February, a Blue Cross Blue Shield report also found that West Virginia lead the nation in prescriptions per capita.
It's easy to follow the top stories with home delivery of The Charleston Gazette.
- Most Popular
- Most Commented
- WVU facing big climb in '09 (54 Comments)
- Ages 3 to 8 (25 Comments)
- Horror (24 Comments)
- IN OPINION: Why are school calendars filled with a ridiculous number of do-nothing days? (22 Comments)
- William F. Shughart II (12 Comments)
- Recruit makes WVU his choice -- on TV (8 Comments)
- Mark Weisbrot (8 Comments)










Post a comment
The untold story is the number of young people illegally 'snorting pills' after they crush them.
Many young people are dying almost daily from overdose of prescription drugs they buy on the street or steal from elderly people.