Nearly 119.5 million pills were sold in bulk in Vermont by opioid manufacturers and distributors from 2006 through 2012. That's thefinding fromSeven Days, which analyzed data made public by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.The Washington Post and the Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia filed a lawsuit seeking access to the numbers, and last week the Post released the data on oxycodone and hydrocodone pill purchases. Seven Days data editor Andrea Suozzo dug into those numbers to find data specific to Vermont.
Seven Days data editor Andrea Suozzo spoke about her findings to VPR's Henry Epp. Listen to their conversation above.
Among Suozzo's findings:
- 191 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills per person in Vermont were distributed to the state in bulk between 2006 and 2012.
- The McKesson Corporation was the top opioid distributor to the state during that time period.
- The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington was the top purchaser of oxycodone and hydrocodone pills, buying nearly 3.4 million pills over the seven-year period.
More from Seven Days — Data Dive: As Opioid Crisis Ramped Up, Pills Flowed Into Vermont by the Millions [July 19]
