March 13. Gov. Josh Stein delivered his first State of the State Address last night, highlighting a variety of citizens who have made a difference in North Carolina.

One of them was Cornelius resident Debbie Dalton. She and her husband Randy lost their son Hunter to an accidental overdose in 2016. Here are Gov. Stein’s comments about Hunter, and the Daltons’ quest to warn others of the dangers of fentanyl.

Gov. Stein, Debbie Dalton

Gov. Stein’s comments
…let’s improve public safety and health by tackling the scourges of opioid and fentanyl addiction.

I first met Debbie Dalton after she experienced one of the most terrible tragedies a parent can face.

Her son Hunter was one of those larger-than-life people who made everyone he met feel special.

He loved golf and travel and once beat Steph Curry in a free-throw shooting competition at Davidson Basketball Camp.

Three days ago, Hunter should have celebrated his 32nd birthday.

But at 23 years old, fentanyl tragically ended his life.

There are thousands of stories like Hunter’s – young people whose lives ended too soon because of one of the deadliest drugs ever to poison our country.

And too many North Carolinians are like Debbie – parents, siblings, spouses, children, and friends who will never get their loved one back.

During my time as Attorney General, we made real progress combatting the fentanyl crisis and reducing overdose deaths.

But even one death to fentanyl is one death too many.

That’s why I’m calling on the General Assembly to fund a Fentanyl Control Unit of law enforcement and prosecutors dedicated to getting it off our streets!

That’s how we can honor the memory of Hunter and all the North Carolinians we have lost too soon.

Debbie, thank you for your willingness to turn your personal pain into purpose for other people. Please stand.

What we’ve been talking about tonight – they are not red issues or blue issues, they are North Carolina issues!

More information

The Hunter Dalton #HDLife Foundation is committed to providing education and resources to help prevent the use of potentially lethal recreational drugs in a sustained effort to stem the tide of the epidemic tragic loss of life. There were more than 700 people at Hunter’s celebration of life service at Hopewell High School.