Overdose deaths are increasing in Buncombe County.
According to WLOS:
[O]verdose deaths in Buncombe County nearly tripled and ER visits were on the rise.
Jennifer Garrett, clinical supervisor at Western Carolina Treatment Center in Asheville, said there was a shift from prescription drug abuse to street drug abuse.
This follows a national trend - and and even more-pronounced statewide trend.
In 2017, there were 1,953 overdose deaths involving opioids in North Carolina—a rate of 19.8 deaths per 100,000 persons compared to the average national rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons.
Chris West writing at NC Civitas:
If lawmakers want to address the opioid epidemic...they should focus on substance-abuse treatment for those who truly need it & are willing to accept it, rather than on maintaining the costly expansion of Medicaid to millions of able-bodied adults.
Pete's Prep: Friday, May, 17, 2019
- Laura Leslie at WRAL reports: "Sales taxes are capped at 7 percent statewide, plus a quarter–cent for transit if county voters approve. The legislation now heading to the Senate would let counties use that extra quarter-cent for school construction, teacher supplements or any other purpose they choose, as long as voters agree to it."
- Socialist US Sen. Bernie Sanders holds a rally in Asheville today. He wrote an op-ed in today's Citizen-Times about school segregation. (I wonder if this will lead to a push in consolidating City and County schools.)
- But Dr. Terry Stoops writes at Carolina Journal: "If you want to understand the appeal of charter schools, start by talking with the parents."