Government spending billions to fight opioid crisis

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-08) joined a roundtable discussion on the opioid crisis, Tuesday, shortly after voting in favor of the $1.3 trillion spending bill, which includes funds to fight the epidemic.

More than $4 billion goes towards opioid abuse prevention, research and treatment.

Rep. Hudson said there were more than 200 million opioid prescriptions last year, and 92 percent of people did not use their full prescription.

“I even hear of people going to real estate open houses, posing as home buyers so they can steal drugs out of the medicine cabinets,” Rep. Hudson said. “So there are too many of these pills out there. They are being over-prescribed."

The roundtable discussion was at Serenity House in Cabarrus County, where last year there were 639 opiate overdoses.