On Wednesday, Gov. McMaster spoke at a two-day summit on the growing problem of opioid abuse in S.C. – stressing that the state needs to control the drug crisis before it negatively impacts the growing workforce + economy.

Here are some stats behind S.C.’s opioid use + its fatal consequences:

550 | total deaths in S.C. from opioid-related causes in 2016

18% | increase in opioid-related deaths from 2014 to 2016

101 | opioid-related deaths in 2016 in Horry County – the most in any S.C. county

65 | number of Charleston County residents lost to opioid overdoses in 2016

42 | number of Richland County residents lost to opioid overdoses in 2016

Also on the rise? The administration of Narcan, an anti-overdose medication, given by first responders:

4,600 | doses in S.C. in 2015

6,400 | doses in S.C. in 2016

1,043 | doses in Horry County in 2016 – the most in any S.C. county

721 | doses in Greenville County in 2016

85 | doses in Richland County in 2016 – down from 147 in 2014

According to Spartanburg County coroner Rusty Clevenger, opioid deaths have been down this year, but Narcan administration has been up.

3 min read / The State