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As drug experts parse the data trying to understand the factors that could contribute to a sudden drop in overdose deaths, harm reductionists in western N.C. work to stave off a possible spike in overdoses after the destruction brought by Hurricane Helene.

Although budget negotiations stalled, the conversation about how to spend this opioid money is far from over.

North Carolina lawmakers are considering restrictions on a new opioid drug sold in convenience stores.

WakeMed Health and Hospitals will provide hospital-level mental health and substance use disorder treatments at WakeBrook, the mental health hospital in Raleigh.

As the fight against the opioid epidemic continues, new medicines promise to help. But experts say old remedies shouldn't be forgotten.

Counties are starting to get their first payments from the more than $50 billion dollar windfall secured from drug manufacturers and pharmacies for their role in the opioid epidemic. A public radio collaborative investigated what programs are being funded.

Only the person who has overdosed and the person who calls for help are shielded from most prosecutions for substance possession. Sometimes even those people find themselves in legal jeopardy. A new bill would provide protection for everyone at a scene from arrest and from prosecution for nonviolent offenses.

North Carolina saw record highs in opioid overdose hospitalizations and deaths in 2022.

The deal would still need to be approved by 43 states to take effect. It follows a similar announcement from pharmacy chains CVS Health and Walgreen Co. They each said they would pay about $5 billion over time to settle suits they face.

The Sacklers, who own Purdue Pharma, maker of Oxycontin, have maintained they did nothing wrong. People who lost loved ones and years of their lives to opioid addiction believe otherwise.