There is an epidemic happening in the U.S., in North Carolina and in Beaufort County. There are people overdosing every day on opioids. They are addicted: some through casual drug use; others by exposure to the drugs through legitimate medical issues. They are overdosing because of stronger synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and carfentanyl being mixed with heroin.

Overdoses have become so prevalent that first responders are now armed with Narcan, a nasal spray that stop an overdose in its tracks. It may prevent an overdose culminating in death, but it does not cure the addicted.

Treatment options for opiate addicts are not keeping up with the number of the addicted. This applies on local, state and national levels.

In Beaufort County, a task force is being assembled to address the issue. One iteration of the U.S. Senate’s health care bill called for $45 billion to tackle the problem. In North Carolina, there was not a single dissenting vote in the General Assembly for the STOP (Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention) Act, which establishes a statewide database to track prescriptions and cut down on “doctor shopping” and funded local substance abuse treatment and recovery to the tune of $20 million.

North Carolina’s statistics alone are startling. Between 1999 and 2016, more than 12,000 North Carolina residents have died from opioid-related overdoses, most of which were unintentional. In 2015 alone, unintentional opioid-related overdose deaths cost the state $1.3 billion. The majority of people who are dying from overdoses are white males between the ages of 25 and 54 years old. Heroin deaths are increasing, as addiction can be a slippery slope between prescribed medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone and illegal drugs such as heroin. Between 2011 and 2016, administration of Narcan by EMS has increased dramatically — from 8,500 cases to 13,069.

This information comes from the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services, which also recommends the following to reduce opioid addiction and death: stop the oversupply of prescription opioids; prevent them from getting on the streets; increase community awareness and prevention; make sure Narcan is widely available and link overdose survivors to care; and expand treatment and recovery-oriented systems of care.

It would seem that a dedication of $20 million to fund local substance abuse treatment and recovery would go a long way toward that goal.

The problem is the General Assembly has so far elected to fund only half the amount that the bipartisan STOP Act called for.

Half measures aren’t enough to stop an epidemic. North Carolina legislators should stop, think about the people dying across North Carolina and act accordingly.