West Virginia’s new drug czar was once addicted to opioids himself

Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s new drug czar has a very personal reason for wanting to end the state’s opioid crisis: He was once addicted to prescription painkillers himself. Dr. Stephen Loyd, who has been sober for 20 years, started as West Virginia’s Office of Drug Control Policy director last month. Loyd was an overworked hospital resident suffering from anxiety and depression when he began misusing pain pills. Since detoxing and undergoing treatment in 2004, he has dedicated his career to addiction medicine. He says combating opioid addiction in the state with the highest rate of overdose deaths isn’t just his job, but an integral part of his personal recovery.