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Drugs, overdose, hope: North Carolina

The number of drug related deaths in the United States is falling. In some states, like North Carolina, that fall is dramatic.

Drug overdose has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid mass produced in Mexico and smuggled across the border, drove the increasing number of fatalities ever higher. But there is a good news story that has not been widely reported. Drug-related deaths fell year on year from 2023 to 2024 by around 25%. In some states, the decline was even more dramatic - North Carolina was one of them. Linda Pressly visits the state capital of Raleigh to report on some of the reasons why fewer people are dying from illicit narcotics.

Presenter: by Linda Pressly
Producer: Tim Mansel

(Photo: Kayla, a former fentanyl user and now a client of a LEAD programme (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) in North Carolina that diverts substance abusers away from crime. Credit: Tim Mansel)

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27 minutes

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Sunday 15:06GMT

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  • Tue 14 Oct 2025 01:32GMT
  • Tue 14 Oct 2025 08:32GMT
  • Tue 14 Oct 2025 19:06GMT
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