State data shows nearly 150 people died in accidental opioid overdoses in Cumberland County in 2021.
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County leadership said it's slated to give almost $500,000 of its opioid settlement money to two agencies focused on helping young people and their families impacted by drug use.
One agency, Camp Rockfish and Retreat expects to receive about $100,000 over the next two years. The second agency, the Mid-Carolina Regional Council, expects to receive $350,000.
"We have a high incident of substance abuse in Cumberland County in general and we're finding it now with our kids and we're finding it in the population," said Glenn Adams, the chairman of Cumberland County Commissioners.
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"We've had some schools where the kids have had to go to the hospital because of some overdoses using the gummy bears and all of these things and these kids just don't know and they don't understand what's happening in the community."
The issue is also being seen nationwide, as a study published in JAMA Psychiatry reports that over 320,000 children lost a parent to a drug overdose from 2011 to 2021.