Opioid

Some $1.5 billion flowed to local government coffers this year, sparking debates about transparency and how to spend the money. Here are 5 takeaways from a year's worth of reporting on the issue.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein says he needs funding to create a Fentanyl Control Unit to address rising opioid deaths.

CVS would pay about $5 billion and Walgreens more than $5.5 billion, though neither company has admitted wrongdoing. States have until the end of the year to accept the terms of the settlement.

The lawsuit accused them of causing a health crisis by distributing 81 million pills over eight years in one West Virginia county ravaged by opioid addiction.

Many blame the agency's earlier guidance for suffering and even suicide risk among chronic pain patients. Critics say the updated advice may not fix the problem.

A study by the National Institutes of Health said pills are the most common form of the drug with a nearly 50-fold increase in law enforcement seizures.

Companies at the center of the deadly prescription opioid epidemic are close to deals that would cap their liability while funding drug treatment and recovery programs.

An estimated $750 million is earmarked for the state of North Carolina and its local governments, while at least $100 million from the Purdue bankruptcy agreement hinges on mediation, which has been extended three times in recent weeks.

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.