South Raleigh News

Attorney General Josh Stein announced that North Carolinians can now access more detailed information about how local governments are spending $1.2 billion from opioid settlements. This update is available through the Community Opioid Resources Engine (CORE-NC), which offers insights into payment schedules, spending plans, past expenditures, annual narratives, and local contacts.

“North Carolina continues to set the standard for fighting the opioid epidemic with transparency and accountability,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “This updated local view is another step forward in making sure North Carolinians know how their counties and municipalities are investing these funds to save lives and build safer, healthier communities.”

CORE-NC was developed in collaboration with the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The state’s approach emphasizes transparency and accountability in managing opioid settlement funds. CORE-NC provides resources, payment schedules, county-specific data to guide spending decisions, and strategies proven effective against opioid misuse. It also acts as a repository for reports on fund usage over the 18-year settlement period. Attorney General Stein has secured nearly $1.5 billion in settlement funds for North Carolina.

North Carolina received recognition for its efforts from a public health coalition led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The award highlighted the state's commitment to using almost all settlement funds to combat the opioid crisis and establishing CORE-NC to disseminate information and support evidence-based interventions.