A Legislative Perspective
Videographers: Oly Zayac, Francesca Collins; Interviewer: Tyler Patchen; Editor: Jackie Pascale
As the opiate crisis has gotten worse in the United States, many people have been coming forward to offer solution and solve the crisis. In North Carolina, one of the major politicians tackling this issue head on is Attorney General Josh Stein.
Attorney General Stein has begun a major campaign to address the rising levels of opioid addictions and deaths. “We have to get a handle on this crisis… the opioid epidemic in North Carolina is at a crisis point,” said Stein.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the number of overdose deaths have increased nearly 400 percent in the past 7 years. Medical expenses have amassed more than $1.8 billion in the crisis as well as a huge emotional toll for many of the residents of North Carolina.
“There is a lot than can be done to solve this crisis, we actually need to do a lot” said Stein “but if we take a multifaceted approach that focuses of prevention, treatment, and enforcement we can save lives.”
One of the first steps that the Attorney General has started to unveil is the STOP Act. The STOP Act is an effort to control the amount of prescription opioids are sold to one person. The act regulates and monitors the amount of opiate pills that are available to one person. The availability of pills will be regulated on a case to case basis. Therefore, someone being treated for smaller injures would receive less pills than someone with more serious conditions.
“When you look at what’s killing people increasingly it’s the lethal opiate, heroin and fentanyl. But 75-80 percent of those who take heroin or fentanyl started with a prescription drug.”
Having less pills prescribed, will limit the risk of having more pills available and abusing opiates, leading to stronger drugs and addiction.
Another approach Attorney General Stein is taking in addressing this crisis, is through the medium of social media. “It’s a different way to reach people. Part of what we have to do is change the way society looks at this issue,” said Stein. By using the twitter hashtag #opioidsurvivor, Attorney General Stein hopes that it would provide a conversation about opioid abuse by offering a place to for people to talk about their struggles as well as offer assistance and help.
“What we're trying to do with #opioidsurvivor is to deal with the stigma and to make it not afraid to talk about and the second thing is we want to remind people there is hope.”
Attorney General Stein also wants to put a dent in both the medial overdoses as well as in criminal and trafficking organizations. “People who profit from other people’s death on people's misery must be punished. I am also convening a group of law enforcement folks to sit around the table and ask what you need to break these trafficking organizations up.”
Overall, the Attorney General is fully committed to addressing his issue and has made a massive strides in attempting to reduce the amount of opiates in North Carolina.
