Opioid

As drug overdose deaths hit record numbers, addiction experts say lawmakers should be spending money on established programs providing evidence-based treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts North Carolina will see a 43% jump in overdose deaths compared to 2020. Overdose deaths have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the United States was already battling an opioid epidemic. Now, it's even worse. We look into the roots of the opioid crisis and why it continues to ravage the country.

The country's biggest name-brand pharmacy chains face a high-profile civil trial beginning Monday in Cleveland, Ohio over their role in the nation's deadly opioid epidemic.

Cherokee Nation officials say their community has been disproportionately harmed by the opioid crisis. The drug companies deny any wrongdoing.

People who were addicted to OxyContin or lost loved ones who were addicted to the drug expect very little in compensation from the multibillion-dollar Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement.

The decision by a federal bankruptcy judge grants members of the family who own Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, sweeping protection from any liability for the opioid crisis.

The state of North Carolina and scores of local governments could receive $750 million combined from a $26 billion proposed national settlement with several opioid producers.

Payouts will be spread over the next 18 years, with much of the funding going to help communities struggling with high rates of opioid addiction and overdose deaths.

North Carolina is among dozens of states receiving money as part of a settlement related to the opioid crisis.