New law now makes it harder to get certain opioid drugs

RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Governor Roy Cooper extended his pen Thursday in the fight against the opioid epidemic that has plagued the state for years.

House Bill 243 was signed into law Thursday morning after the Legislature passed the Strengthen Opoid Misuse Prevention, or the STOP Act, unanimously.

It's a fight Cooper has been passionate about. Just last month, Governor Cooper was added as a member to the White House's opioid commission.

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According to the governor's website, our state has seen a more than 800 percent increase in opioid related deaths between 1999 and 2015.

Some of the act will go into effect almost immediately on July 1st, while the remaining won't take action until 2020.