A new report identified the top 25 worst cities in the United States for opioid abuse, and North Carolina shockingly pops up four times. Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce euphoric like effects. They are most often used to relieve pain, and include drugs such as oxycodone, morphine, and vicodin. The report analyzed up-to-date health data from about a million people, and the worst city in America for opioid abuse was Wilmington. Hickory came up as fifth, followed by Jacksonville at twelfth, and Fayetteville at eighteenth in the ranking. These four cities all have a common factor, accessibility. The accessibility in these towns is what is making the cities have such high opioid abuse rates that are beginning to get out of hand. News station CBS North Carolina investigates talked to outreach groups, opioid users, law enforcement agencies, and even the DEA about the problem at hand. They report that prescription abuse often eventually leads to heroin abuse. This epidemic is plaguing fellow North Carolinian lives, and a solution is in the process of being passed.

 A group of bipartisan legislators recently took it upon themselves to create an act to help prevent prescription pill misuse in the state of North Carolina. It is called the STOP (Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention) Act to save the lives of North Carolinians. This act takes an approach to drug policy by enforcing specific regulations for prescribing and dispensing controlled substances based of of evidence from frequent opioid abusers. For example, the STOP Act would enforce the use of a Controlled Substance Reporting System so that medical providers and pharmacists check a database showing a patient’s medical and prescription history before writing or dispensing any new prescriptions. In addition, the previous Governor, Pat McCrory, signed a 911 Good Samaritan law. This gives some immunity to people who call for help during an overdose situation. If police respond to a 911 emergency where there are small amounts of illegal substances, the users will not be charged with a crime. This has freed up users to call for help without fear of criminal prosecution and incriminating themselves in the process. The STOP Act also appropriates the funding needed to improve community-based treatment services.

  Junior Hannah Janicki said, “What I’ve been seeing and hearing on the news, opioids are a growing epidemic especially here in NC. Substance abuse is a serious problem, and I think it’s very important that we somehow work to decrease the availability of these drugs.” As continuous overdose death tolls increase, valuable lives are being lost on a daily. With the STOP Act in order, opioid overdose will become less common and help save lives of local men and women.