RALEIGH-- It's a staggering statistic. From 1999 to 2017, more than 13,000 North Carolinians died from opioid-related overdoses making unintentional poisoning the leading cause of unnatural deaths in North Carolina over car wrecks. And in addition to the heartache it's caused, North Carolina’s Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey says it cost the state more than $2.5 billion in 2017 alone.

Spectrum News anchor Caroline Blair sat down with Commissioner Causey for an In Depth look at the crisis and how he’s looking to tackle the issue.

In honor of National Poison Prevention Week this week, Causey is traveling the state, speaking at numerous Operation Medicine Drop events.  For a full list of how you can safely get rid of medication near your home, just visit their website.