North Carolina has a drug overdose rate that is higher than average.
Overdoses from illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine remain a problem for the state, but most overdose deaths come from abusing prescription pain medications. Wilkes County was once the face of the state's prescription pill problem. However, will the help of community education programs and a new "miracle anti-drug" , the rural area has not seen a single death from a prescription opioid since 2011 that can be attributed to a Wilkes County prescriber.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Fred Brason, founder of , an organization working on prescription overdose issues. He also talks with , author of (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc/2014) and associate professor at , and Chris Atack, patrol captain for the Carrboro Police Department.
