Asheville – Already a devastating issue, substance abuse in America has spiraled out of control since the pandemic began. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), 106,363 individuals died as a result of drug overdoses from August 2022 to August 2023. Deaths rose nearly 1½ times (compared to the year before COVID hit). There were 74,679 drug-related deaths recorded from March 2019 to March 2020.