In the last three years, 3,000 Oklahomans have lost their lives due to the opioid crisis.
Now, as the Enid News And Eagle reports, state Attorney General Mike Hunter is doing his best to rein in the scourge of opioids.
But he’s got an uphill battle.
In 2014, almost 10 million prescriptions for opioids were filled statewide - the equivalent of giving everyone in the state 50 pills.
The biggest problem seems to be addicts getting pills from kith and kin. Almost 67 percent of the abused painkillers in Oklahoma came from friends and family of addicts. Less than five percent of abused pills come from drug dealers.
Hunter has created a commission to look into creating new policy that might stem the tide of abused opioids. The A.G. is also hoping to expand treatment access across the state, as well as increasing education and awareness in schools.