Our hope in releasing the data was that local reporters, in particular, would use it to tell stories about the impact of the opioid crisis in their communities. And they have: Journalists from over 30 states have published more than 90 articles based on the previously undisclosed DEA data.

For some journalists, the data confirmed what they have been reporting in their communities for years: “It adds statistical proof of what we knew already — that America, and New Jersey, were flooded by prescription opioids at the start of a period that has killed at least 19,600 of our residents,” said Stephen Stirling, a data reporter at NJ.com who analyzed the impact of the pain pills in New Jersey.

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In Kentucky, where the flow of pain pills left behind a trail of deaths from opioids, the DEA data didn’t come as a surprise to Russ Cassady, regional editor of the Appalachian News-Express. But he was still shocked by the magnitude of the figures. From 2006 to 2012, there were 66,785,120 prescription pain pills supplied to Pike County — 146 pills per person per year.

“We knew the numbers were bad, but it definitely gives some perspective," Cassady said. “The epicenter of the map you guys posted, the deep red counties, that’s us.”

The database also revealed new patterns and clues. “I learned that the opioid problem seemed to affect poor white people more than any other demographic,” said AL.com data reporter Ramsey Archibald, who analyzed the DEA data in Alabama. “Majority black counties tended to be near the bottom of the list.”

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Similar local-focused data analyses have sprouted all over the country.

The database has also spurred larger conversations about the role of the federal government in the opioid epidemic. In an editorial, Minnesota’s Star Tribune wondered if the federal government should have done more to prevent the spread of addictive pills: "What was the DEA doing as the opioid epidemic gathered steam? Was no one bothering to mine the data for details? If so, why not?”

Confronted with the new evidence about the number of pain pills that flowed into their communities, local officials have reacted to the stories reported by local news organizations. “It was really saddening to look at those numbers,” Cheshire County Administrator Christopher C. Coates said to the The Keene Sentinel of New Hampshire.

As local journalists, researchers and citizens keep digging into the data and discovering new things in it, we will attempt to update the list below. To send us a story you’ve published or reach out to our reporters about the data, read more about our guidelines here.

Local stories based on the DEA database: