Darts & laurels, Salisbury Post

Dart to the ongoing devastation the synthetic opioid fentanyl has brought to so many lives in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control confirmed on Wednesday what first responders have suspected for some time: Fentanyl is America’s deadliest drug. Of the 50 states, North Carolina had among the steepest increases in drug overdoses in 2017, largely driven by potent and cheap fentanyl and its derivatives.

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-Cabarrus, has been active in fighting the drug. “We’ve taken significant federal action to combat fentanyl — including cutting off foreign shipments and giving our local communities the resources they need to get these deadly drugs off our streets,” Hudson said Wednesday in response to the CDC report. “This report is a heartbreaking reminder that our work is not done.”