North Carolina Attorney General sounding alarm on prescription, illegal drug abuse
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- North Carolina's Attorney General says there is a dangerous, sometimes deadly epidemic sweeping across the state and he's hoping to change its course.
AG Roy Cooper sounded the alarm about prescription and illegal drug abuse at a drug prevention summit at North Carolina State University Monday morning.
He said the State Bureau of Investigations is handling about 400 percent more cases in the last few years that deal with prescription drug abuse.
Cooper also said more and more people are dying from the abuse because they are either swiping pills from theirs or a friend's home or seeking out doctors who will give them a prescription.
"We need to get healthcare professionals not to over prescribe and to try to stop the doctor shopping that's going on out there," Cooper said. "A lot of people think that just because a pill is prescribed by a doctor and it's legal in and of itself, that it's safe when in actually it can be much more dangerous than even cocaine or heroin or some of the other drugs."
Triangle law enforcement agencies regularly hold prescription drop off drives where anyone can drop off old or unused medicine to be destroyed.
Cooper added that the black market needs to be shut down.
"These pills are selling on the street for a lot of money," Cooper said. "They can play an important role in pain relief for people, particularly those in chronic pain, but what we have to do is to make sure that we stop the abuse and stop the deaths."
The Raleigh Police Department has a prescription drug drop off scheduled for Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at two locations -- Josef's Pharmacy on New Bern Avenue and Blue Ridge Pharmacy on Blue Ridge Road.
