Synthetic opioids like fentanyl could increase in Australia soon. Experts say we need to prepare now
11 months, 1 week ago

Synthetic opioids like fentanyl could increase in Australia soon. Experts say we need to prepare now

ABC  

Lachlan isn't worried about unintentionally using fentanyl, but he's acutely aware of what could happen if he did. And over the last decade, synthetic opioids like fentanyl have become more common across North American drug markets, including being found present in illicit opioids like heroin. Monash Addiction Research Centre deputy director Suzanne Nielsen says Australia's drug supply routes aren't currently favouring synthetic opioids. Medical director of Sydney's Medically Supervised Injecting Centre Marianne Jauncey says fentanyl's presence, albeit small, means there's "no magic fence" protecting Australia. Yet even if fentanyl and other synthetic opioids don't increase in Australia, Professor Nielsen says these measures would help address Australia's current opioid crisis.

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History of this topic

Canada records almost 50,000 deaths from fentanyl since 2016
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Canada records almost 50,000 deaths from fentanyl since 2016

Al Jazeera  

The highly addictive opioid is behind an increasing number of deaths in Canada, according to the government. Fentanyl is increasingly behind opioid overdose deaths in Canada, according to new government data. The national health agency on Monday reported that nearly 50,000 people in the North American country died from opioid overdose deaths from January 2016 to June 2024. Canada’s government …

Is America’s opioid epidemic finally burning out?
3 weeks, 4 days ago

Is America’s opioid epidemic finally burning out?

Hindustan Times  

Standing in the bitter cold outside the DeCoach Recovery Centre, a drug treatment clinic on the edge of an ocean of car parking in Hamilton, Ohio, Scott Weaver explains where his life went off track. “People will tell you it don’t because they don’t want to take it, ‘cause they ain’t done yet.” Mr Weaver’s story reflects America’s opioid crisis. …

Synthetic opioid nitazene linked to rise in overdose deaths is emerging in Australia
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Synthetic opioid nitazene linked to rise in overdose deaths is emerging in Australia

ABC  

A synthetic opioid linked to a rise in overdose deaths overseas has emerged on the illicit drug scene, with some experts warning it has the potential to be Australia's version of the fentanyl crisis gripping North America. "These are lab-grown substances that mimic the effects of other opioid drugs such as heroin … but they are far, far stronger than …

Drug overdose deaths in the US decreased in 2023, for the first time in five years
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Drug overdose deaths in the US decreased in 2023, for the first time in five years

CNN  

CNN — After a steep rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, preliminary data shows that drug overdose deaths in the United States ticked down in 2023 for the first time in five years. “This progress over the last 12 months should make us want to reinvigorate our efforts knowing that our strategies are making a difference,” CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. …

Synthetic opioids could fuel ‘second wave’ of UK drug deaths crisis, experts warn
11 months, 4 weeks ago

Synthetic opioids could fuel ‘second wave’ of UK drug deaths crisis, experts warn

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An influx of lethally strong synthetic opioids could fuel a …

‘It’s absolutely heartbreaking’: Fentanyl is officially Los Angeles County’s deadliest drug
1 year ago

‘It’s absolutely heartbreaking’: Fentanyl is officially Los Angeles County’s deadliest drug

LA Times  

In 2022, fentanyl was linked to more overdose deaths in L.A. County than meth for the first time in recent years. “It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” said Amanda Cowan, executive director of Community Health Project Los Angeles, which provides services to people who use drugs. “In the case of race/ethnicity, Black people account for 8% of the population, and disproportionately accounted for …

What's fentanyl, the opioid at the centre of Biden-Xi talks, which led to 70,000 deaths in US?
1 year, 1 month ago

What's fentanyl, the opioid at the centre of Biden-Xi talks, which led to 70,000 deaths in US?

Firstpost  

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more so than heroin. On the sidelines of the APEC Summit, US leader Biden and China’s Xi Jinping agreed that Beijing would take action to stop the influx of fentanyl, that killed 70,000 people in the US last year On Wednesday, US president Joe …

What’s fentanyl, and why have deaths due to drug overdose spiked in the US?
1 year, 3 months ago

What’s fentanyl, and why have deaths due to drug overdose spiked in the US?

Al Jazeera  

In 2021, two-thirds of drug-related overdose deaths in the US were linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Although fentanyl is approved for medical use, especially in pain management, more than 150 people in the US die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Fentanyl overdose deaths in the US More than 106,000 people died of a drug …

Report on overdoses shows opioids remain a leading factor in accidental drug deaths in Australia
1 year, 4 months ago

Report on overdoses shows opioids remain a leading factor in accidental drug deaths in Australia

ABC  

In short: The Annual Overdose Report shows 1,675 Australians died from unintentional drug overdoses in 2021 The Annual Overdose Report shows 1,675 Australians died from unintentional drug overdoses in 2021 What's next? The public health organisation that produced the report, the Penington Institute, says drug-induced deaths are a crisis requiring greater action from government Accidental fatal overdoses in Australia continue …

US approves sale of overdose reversal drug without prescription
1 year, 9 months ago

US approves sale of overdose reversal drug without prescription

Al Jazeera  

The decision comes as a bid to widen access to the life-saving drug as the US struggles with a wave of overdose deaths. The United States has decided to make Narcan, a life-saving medication that can reverse drug overdoses, accessible without a prescription as the country reels from an ongoing opioid addiction crisis. In a statement on Wednesday, the US …

Fentanyl, other synthetic opioids are driving deadliest overdose crisis in the U.S.
2 years, 2 months ago

Fentanyl, other synthetic opioids are driving deadliest overdose crisis in the U.S.

LA Times  

Portraits of fentanyl victims at an exhibit at the Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Arlington, Va. Lillianna Alfaro was a recent high school graduate raising a toddler and considering joining the Army when she and a friend bought what they thought was the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in December 2020. “Two years ago, I knew nothing about this,” said Holly Groelle, …

Hobart tops country in opioids in latest wastewater drug monitoring report
2 years, 9 months ago

Hobart tops country in opioids in latest wastewater drug monitoring report

ABC  

Hobart is Australia's capital city with the highest consumption of the highly addictive and commonly abused prescription opioids, oxycodone and fentanyl. Key points: One doctor says the "high prescribing rate" is due to Tasmania's ageing population, many of whom have "chronic health issues" The AMA admits the online system used to monitor prescriptions is not working as it should The …

New opioids - ten times the strength of fentanyl - create battleground for US medics
3 years, 1 month ago

New opioids - ten times the strength of fentanyl - create battleground for US medics

The Telegraph  

Nitazenes were created over half a century ago as pain medication but they were never approved for use in the US. According to Alex Krotulski, associate director at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education in Pennsylvania, nitazenes have become the “most popular subclass of new synthetic opioids,” and are “way more potent than fentanyl, which is really scary.” …

Op-Ed: How supply and demand have driven the U.S. drug crisis into the ‘synthetic era’
3 years, 2 months ago

Op-Ed: How supply and demand have driven the U.S. drug crisis into the ‘synthetic era’

LA Times  

At a party in Venice in September, four people overdosed from what they thought was cocaine, three of them dying before paramedics arrived. Synthetic drugs of various kinds have been around for decades, but none have come close to the supply and threat of the two staples now coming up from Mexico: fentanyl and methamphetamine. A relentless supply is a …

AP sources: Tool behind crackdown on opioids could expire
3 years, 8 months ago

AP sources: Tool behind crackdown on opioids could expire

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has been slow-walking its work on the extension of a legislative order that would keep in place a sweeping tool that’s helped federal agents crack down on drugs chemically similar to fentanyl, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. In recent weeks, the people said, the White House and Justice Department leaders …

Opioid crisis goes global as deaths surge in Australia
5 years, 4 months ago

Opioid crisis goes global as deaths surge in Australia

Associated Press  

BLACK RIVER, Australia — The coroner’s sense of futility was clear, as he investigated the death of yet another Australian killed by prescription opioids. And it was like I’m screaming and nobody wants to hear me.” On an island off the coast of Tasmania, Dr. Bastian Seidel and his colleagues are immersed in what he calls a “nightmare scenario.” Two …

Global opioid users rise amid US drug crisis, UN report says
5 years, 6 months ago

Global opioid users rise amid US drug crisis, UN report says

CNN  

CNN — Global use of deadly opioid drugs has risen significantly, a new United Nations report said Wednesday, amid a growing synthetic drug crisis in the United States. The report highlights an “ongoing crisis” in the United States and Canada around the use of synthetic opioid drugs, which led to more than 51,000 overdoses in 2017 alone. Video Ad Feedback …

‘Opioid overdose epidemic continues to worsen and evolve,’ CDC says
6 years ago

‘Opioid overdose epidemic continues to worsen and evolve,’ CDC says

CNN  

CNN — Illegally manufactured fentanyl was the driving force behind a 45.2% increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids from 2016 to 2017, according to a new report published Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The opioid overdose epidemic continues to worsen and evolve because of the continuing increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids,” the authors wrote …

Could Prescription Heroin Help Stem Opioid Deaths In The U.S.?
6 years, 1 month ago

Could Prescription Heroin Help Stem Opioid Deaths In The U.S.?

Huff Post  

A tray of supplies at the Insite supervised injection clinic in Vancouver, Canada, where people are permitted to inject illicit drugs in the presence of medical staff. A report released by the nonprofit Rand Corporation this week analyzed the literature on two interventions ― prescription heroin and supervised consumption sites ― that already exist in Europe, Canada and Australia, but …

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