New data released today shows the sobering local impact of the opioid crisis on North Carolina families. In 2015, there were more than 1,100 opioid-related deaths, a 73 percent increase from 2005.

 

In his budget proposal, Common Ground Solutions for North Carolina, Governor Cooper proposed providing $12 million in statewide mental health single stream funds to help combat the opioid crisis and an additional $2 million to enhance local law enforcement’s efforts to fight the crisis. The Senate Republican budget, however, provides just $1.9 million per year to curb the opioid crisis and actually cuts single stream funding used for crisis mental health and substance abuse treatment by $100 million.

 

“Opioid addiction is devastating families across the nation,” said Governor Cooper. “This is a uniquely challenging crisis for our communities and will require a new level of collaboration between law enforcement, treatment-providers, and those in recovery. I am committed to combatting opioid abuse in North Carolina, and I urge the General Assembly to make a similar investment to help those who are suffering from this disease.”

 

Governor Cooper recently joined leaders across the country in a bipartisan commission to combat the opioid crisis. Led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Gov. Cooper will work with the commission to support better access to mental health treatment and criminal justice reforms, which can help people suffering from addiction to truly recover.

 

Here’s a look at how each county is impacted by the opioid crisis:

 

County	2005 Opiate Related Deaths	2015 Opiate Related Deaths
NC Total	642	1,110 – a 73% increase
Alamance	8	11
Alexander	2	6
Alleghany	1	2
Anson	1	1
Ashe	2	2
Avery	2	3
Beaufort	6	5
Bertie	1	1
Bladen	0	5
Brunswick	14	24
Buncombe	29	29
Burke	12	31
Cabarrus	25	17
Caldwell	10	23
Camden	2	3
Carteret	12	15
Caswell	1	2
Catawba	9	17
Chatham	1	1
Cherokee	6	1
Chowan	0	3
Clay	0	0
Cleveland	7	18
Columbus	7	9
Craven	12	22
Cumberland	14	41
Currituck	0	4
Dare	3	3
Davidson	16	19
Davie	7	4
Duplin	2	3
Durham	6	17
Edgecombe	3	6
Forsyth	13	53
Franklin	4	7
Gaston	25	30
Gates	0	1
Graham	1	2
Granville	1	5
Greene	1	2
Guilford	27	47
Halifax	2	10
Harnett	7	10
Haywood	8	8
Henderson	10	13
Hertford	1	0
Hoke	1	2
Hyde	0	0
Iredell	13	15
Jackson	4	3
Johnston	8	23
Jones	1	3
Lee	2	7
Lenoir	1	7
Lincoln	5	5
McDowell	5	8
Macon	2	4
Madison	0	6
Martin	1	1
Mecklenburg	26	61
Mitchell	3	4
Montgomery	3	3
Moore	4	11
Nash	2	11
New Hanover	26	45
Northampton	1	1
Onslow	11	15
Orange	7	6
Pamlico	2	4
Pasquotank	4	2
Pender	1	14
Perquimans	0	1
Person	5	3
Pitt	8	12
Polk	0	2
Randolph	8	30
Richmond	7	11
Robeson	5	11
Rockingham	14	11
Rowan	20	29
Rutherford	10	14
Sampson	0	5
Scotland	7	5
Stanly	7	12
Stokes	2	13
Surry	10	7
Swain	2	1
Transylvania	5	4
Tyrrell	0	0
Union	9	18
Vance	6	5
Wake	35	62
Warren	1	0
Washington	0	1
Watauga	3	7
Wayne	3	9
Wilkes	14	24
Wilson	2	6
Yadkin	5	5
Yancey	0	5