opioids
NC Policy Watch investigative reporter Joe Killian on the dangerous rise and spread of a powerful synthetic opioid known as fentanyl
This an encore broadcast of an interview that first aired in September.
Attorney General Josh Stein discusses the opioid crisis and what his office is doing to force irresponsible drug companies to make amends.
This an encore broadcast of an interview that first aired in September.
NC Policy Watch investigative reporter Joe Killian on the dangerous rise and spread of a powerful synthetic opioid known as fentanyl
Read more of Joe’s coverage on this topic here and here.
Fentanyl in NC: An epidemic within the opioid epidemic
A year ago this month, Barb Walsh was enjoying a feeling of pride for which every parent longs. Sophia, the second of her four daughters, had come through the COVID-19 pandemic, graduating from Appalachian State University’s business school in 2020 and getting a good job with Milwaukee Tool. Driven, competitive and self-sufficient, Sophia was never the sort of kid her mother had to worry about.
A community ravaged by opioids looks to heal with settlement funds
On Tuesday morning, Wake County held its first community meeting on how it will spend its share of a historic $26 billion National Opioid Settlement – more than $35 million over the next 18 years. But before the crowd of nearly 200 talked about solutions, Megan Peevey took them on a guided tour of the dark corners of opioid addiction most North Carolinians are lucky to never to see for themselves.
Monday numbers: A closer look at the scourge of opioid abuse, and your chance to shape where recovery resources go
It has been a year since a coalition of state attorneys general first announced the National Opioid Settlement. That historic $26 billion agreement with three major pharmaceutical distributors (Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen) and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson is intended to help communities dramatically harmed by the opioid epidemic.
Wake County to hold public meeting on plans for $35 million opioid settlement funds
Last year, nearly 200 people in Wake County died as a result of drug overdoses. More than 1,000 found themselves in hospital emergency rooms. Though COVID-19 and political chaos may have taken the spotlight in the last few years, the national opioid epidemic hasn’t gone anywhere. Next week, Wake County is holding its first community […]
Retailers urge NC legislators to crack down on organized retail crime
Pandemic, opioids, rising prices blamed for sharp rise in retail thefts "In retail, we're in business to sell, they are in business to steal." Craig Dowdle, the regional investigation manager for Lowe's Home Improvement, told state legislators Tuesday that Organized Retail Crime has been rising steadily since the pandemic.
As drug overdoses proliferate, one obvious and important policy solution stands out
Behind the headlines of COVID-19 deaths, the story of North Carolina’s drastic increase in fatal drug overdoses has gone largely untold During the COVID-19 pandemic, our country has been on a terrifying roller coaster ride of experiencing COVID deaths and hospitalizations with dizzying falls, drops and catastrophic rises.
Tentative opioid lawsuit settlement announced as deaths from drug overdose climb
Cities and county governments are in line to receive most of North Carolina’s share of the $26 billion opioid lawsuit settlement announced this week. A bipartisan group of state attorneys general agreed to settle lawsuits with drug maker Johnson & Johnson and drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson. The three distributors together will pay […]
To combat opioid overdose deaths, state officials try medication-assisted therapy with select NC inmates
Doctors who treat people with opioid addictions often hear of former patients who have to restart their treatment after leaving jail or prison. Or worse, their former patients die of drug overdoses soon after their release.
Drug overdose ER visits in NC increased 22%
While the state and the nation have been overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid epidemic has marched along its shadow. Preliminary data from the NC Department of Health and Human Services says that hospital emergency room visits for drug overdoses in 2020 increased 22% over the previous year. According to DHHS, heroin overdoses were […]