Last year, Cary saw a 40% increase in fatal overdoses and a 135% increase in non-fatal overdoses. North Carolina has experienced a 73% spike in opioid-related deaths since 2005. In 2015, there were more than 1,100 opioid-related deaths, including 62 in Wake County. According to the CDC, opioids were involved in more than 42,000 deaths across the United States in 2016. The White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates in 2015 the opioid epidemic cost the US economy more than $500 billion and the National Institute of Health reports roughly 21% to 29% of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain, misuse them.