Fentanyl’s scourge evident on the streets of Los Angeles
2 years ago

Fentanyl’s scourge evident on the streets of Los Angeles

Al Jazeera  

For too many people strung out on the drug, the sleep that follows a fentanyl hit could be permanent. The highly addictive and potentially lethal drug has become a scourge across the United States and is taking a toll on the growing number of people living on the streets of Los Angeles. Two-thirds of the 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021 were attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The drug’s toll spreads far beyond the streets.

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History of this topic

Fentanyl fuels record homeless deaths in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland
3 days, 17 hours ago

Fentanyl fuels record homeless deaths in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — Fentanyl fueled a record number of homeless deaths last year in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, according to an annual county report released Friday that officials described as showing the peak of the fentanyl crisis in the area. “The devastating toll fentanyl is taking on our community is starkly apparent in this report and it is …

Is America’s opioid epidemic finally burning out?
1 week 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. …

Urgent CDC warning as new drug carfentanil 100 times more deadly than fentanyl kills hundreds in 37 states
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Urgent CDC warning as new drug carfentanil 100 times more deadly than fentanyl kills hundreds in 37 states

Daily Mail  

Health officials are warning about a drug 100 times more potent than fentanyl that has caused deaths in 37 states in recent years. There were 513 overdoses from carfentanil between January 2021 and June 2024, hitting states like Florida and West Virginia the hardest, according to a CDC report published today. The CDC report included data from January 2023 to …

How a fentanyl epidemic, killing 200 Americans a day, has gripped US
3 weeks, 5 days ago

How a fentanyl epidemic, killing 200 Americans a day, has gripped US

India Today  

The United States is in the grip of a fentanyl epidemic. WHAT'S CHINA'S ROLE IN THE FENTANYL CRISIS IN US The US Drug Enforcement Administration has identified China as the "main source for all fentanyl-related substances trafficked into the United States". Fentanyl first appeared in the US in the 1970s under the name "China White", and its use surged in …

California’s drug task force halts entry of an estimated $11.9 million in fentanyl, governor says
1 month ago

California’s drug task force halts entry of an estimated $11.9 million in fentanyl, governor says

LA Times  

A close-up of fentanyl-laced pills can be seen in a 2019 photo. Amid an ongoing opioid crisis, a special task force of the California National Guard helped seize 1,542 pounds of fentanyl last month, with a street value of about $11.9 million, Gov. In October, the California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force helped seize more than 1.7 million fentanyl pills. …

'Historic' drop in U.S. overdose deaths accelerates as fentanyl crisis eases
1 month, 1 week ago

'Historic' drop in U.S. overdose deaths accelerates as fentanyl crisis eases

NPR  

'Historic' drop in U.S. overdose deaths accelerates as fentanyl crisis eases toggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America Street drug deaths in the U.S. are dropping at the fastest rate ever seen, according to a new report issued on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public health officials say the drop translates into more than 16,000 lives …

US overdoses have fallen sharply in recent months, a hopeful shift in trends
3 months ago

US overdoses have fallen sharply in recent months, a hopeful shift in trends

CNN  

CNN — Federal data shows that overdose deaths in the United States are the lowest they’ve been in three years, and a new analysis suggests that some downward trends indicate “unprecedented” progress in the fight against the drug epidemic. “I think also it’s important to note that there are still more people dying from overdose than before the pandemic, and …

Deaths from drug overdoses plateaued in L.A. County in 2023 after years of increases
5 months ago

Deaths from drug overdoses plateaued in L.A. County in 2023 after years of increases

LA Times  

Sandra Mims, a community health worker with Community Health Project L.A., puts out boxes of naloxone spray during an event at MacArthur Park. Deaths from drug overdoses and poisoning reached a plateau last year in Los Angeles County — the first time in a decade that such fatalities had not continued a year-over-year rise, public health officials said. Across L.A. …

Editorial: L.A., we’ve got to talk about your meth problem
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Editorial: L.A., we’ve got to talk about your meth problem

LA Times  

Dr. Siddarth Puri, an addiction psychiatrist, center, and nurse practitioner Marie Eugenio, right, from LAC+USC Medical Center meet with a participant in contingency management, a treatment approach that offers rewards for avoiding drug use, at Skid Row Community ReFresh Spot in June 2022. Meth rarely matches fentanyl’s presence in news stories, aside from sporadic busts such as the story last …

Gangs mix another potent sedative into U.S. street drugs causing 'mass overdoses'
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Gangs mix another potent sedative into U.S. street drugs causing 'mass overdoses'

NPR  

Gangs mix another potent sedative into U.S. street drugs causing 'mass overdoses' toggle caption Matt Rourke/AP Public health officials say Mexican cartels and drug gangs inside the U.S. are mixing a dangerous chemical sedative called medetomidine into fentanyl and other drugs sold on the street. "The numbers reported out of Philadelphia were 160 hospitalizations over a 3 or 4-day period," …

Drug overdose deaths in the US decreased in 2023, for the first time in five years
7 months, 1 week 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. …

How L.A. County is trying to remake addiction treatment — no more ‘business as usual’
8 months ago

How L.A. County is trying to remake addiction treatment — no more ‘business as usual’

LA Times  

Brandon Fernandez, chief executive of CRI-Help, meets with staff in North Hollywood. If someone leaves treatment and resumes using drugs the same way they were before, “that could very well look like them dying.” “So are we going to be willing to do something different?” “Things can’t be business as usual anymore,” CRI-Help Chief Executive Brandon Fernandez told his staff …

Mexico, a leading producer of illicit fentanyl, can’t get enough for medical use, study finds
8 months, 1 week ago

Mexico, a leading producer of illicit fentanyl, can’t get enough for medical use, study finds

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — A report released by the Mexican government Friday says the country is facing a dire shortage of fentanyl for medical use, even as Mexican cartels pump out tons of the illicit narcotic. Nonetheless, Mexican cartels appear to be having no problem importing tons of precursor chemicals and making their own fentanyl, which they smuggle into the United …

Many homeless in L.A. died from drugs in 2023, preliminary data show
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Many homeless in L.A. died from drugs in 2023, preliminary data show

LA Times  

Tents line the sidewalk at a homeless encampment in the Rampart Village neighborhood of Los Angeles in November 2021. Data released Thursday by City Controller Kenneth Mejia show at least 898 homeless people died last year on streets, in shelters, on freeways and elsewhere. Mejia’s report, which analyzed Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner preliminary data, did not break …

Portland, Oregon, is in a state of emergency over fentanyl
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Portland, Oregon, is in a state of emergency over fentanyl

CNN  

Portland, Oregon CNN — Biking in one of the West Coast’s biggest cities, police Officer Donny Mathew spotted something out of the corner of his eye. “Our country and our state have never seen a drug this deadly and addictive, and all are grappling with how to respond,” Kotek said in a news release in late January, announcing Portland’s fentanyl …

Some D.A.s are fighting fentanyl with murder charges. Why San Francisco will join them
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Some D.A.s are fighting fentanyl with murder charges. Why San Francisco will join them

LA Times  

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, right, with Dist. In an October statement announcing the initiative, Breed said people selling the synthetic opioid are “on notice that pushing this drug could lead to homicide charges.” Jenkins said the effort would make it easier to hold dealers “accountable for the true dangerousness of their conduct.” It’s a remarkable shift in rhetoric and …

More people die after smoking drugs than injecting them, US study finds
10 months, 1 week ago

More people die after smoking drugs than injecting them, US study finds

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Smoking has surpassed injecting as the most common way of taking drugs in U.S. overdose deaths, a new government study suggests. Some early research has suggested that smoking fentanyl is somewhat less deadly than injecting it, and any reduction in injection-related overdose deaths is a positive, said the study’s lead author, Lauren Tanz. But “both injection and …

Opinion: ‘Just say no’ can kill kids. Teach them how to stay safe in the fentanyl era
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Opinion: ‘Just say no’ can kill kids. Teach them how to stay safe in the fentanyl era

LA Times  

Melanie Ramos was only 15 years old when she died of a suspected overdose in a high school bathroom in Hollywood. In a new analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine, we found that fatal overdoses among U.S. teens aged 14-18 hit an all-time high in 2022. Programming should also help teens recognize the signs of an overdose and …

Fentanyl epidemic reaches CONGRESS: Capitol Hill staffers given 600 free doses of live-saving medication naloxone to prevent overdoses as drug wave sweeps Washington
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Fentanyl epidemic reaches CONGRESS: Capitol Hill staffers given 600 free doses of live-saving medication naloxone to prevent overdoses as drug wave sweeps Washington

Daily Mail  

Naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, was distributed at the Capitol Capitol Hill staffers were given free samples of the life-saving drug naloxone as the deadly fentanyl epidemic continues to hit Washington, D.C., particularly hard. One staffer, Caty Payette, posted on X that free naloxone kits were being distributed Thursday Voices for Awareness set up a table in a Senate office …

Fentanyl crisis in Oregon: 90-day state of emergency declared in downtown Portland
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Fentanyl crisis in Oregon: 90-day state of emergency declared in downtown Portland

CNN  

CNN — Oregon leaders joined forces to declare a 90-day state of emergency in downtown Portland, funneling resources into fighting the city’s deadly fentanyl crisis. Tina Kotek, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler each made an emergency declaration to address the public health and public safety crisis in Portland’s Central City, citing overdoses, deaths and …

‘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 …

As Pacific Northwest fentanyl crisis surges, officials grapple with how to curb it
1 year ago

As Pacific Northwest fentanyl crisis surges, officials grapple with how to curb it

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Inslee's office said part of his proposed supplemental budget …

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 …

Massachusetts: Heart-shaped pills laced with fentanyl seized and 3 arrested in drug bust worth $8 million
1 year, 1 month ago

Massachusetts: Heart-shaped pills laced with fentanyl seized and 3 arrested in drug bust worth $8 million

CNN  

CNN — Three men were arrested and authorities seized over 220 pounds of controlled substances in a major drug bust earlier this month that included pink fentanyl-laced pills shaped like hearts, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a news release. Of an estimated 10 million doses seized, 8 million were “doses of fentanyl and methamphetamine …

What’s fentanyl, and why have deaths due to drug overdose spiked in the US?
1 year, 2 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 …

US announces sweeping action against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producers
1 year, 2 months ago

US announces sweeping action against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producers

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration took aim Tuesday at the fentanyl trafficking threat, announcing a series of indictments and sanctions against Chinese companies and executives blamed for importing the chemicals used to make the deadly drug. “And we know that this global fentanyl supply chain, which ends with the deaths of Americans, often starts with chemical companies in China.” Besides …

Portland police are investigating nearly a dozen fentanyl overdoses involving children, with 5 fatal
1 year, 2 months ago

Portland police are investigating nearly a dozen fentanyl overdoses involving children, with 5 fatal

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — Nearly a dozen children, including a 1-year-old, have overdosed on fentanyl since June in Portland, Oregon, its police bureau said Thursday, intensifying alarm in a city like so many others that has struggled to address the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history. A 1-year-old, 2-year-old, 5-year-old and two 15-year-olds are among the dead, the Portland Police Bureau …

Decriminalizing drugs in Oregon and Washington isn't associated with overdose increases, study finds
1 year, 2 months ago

Decriminalizing drugs in Oregon and Washington isn't associated with overdose increases, study finds

Salon  

In 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, a law decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of controlled substances like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Between 2020 and 2021, overdose deaths did increase in Oregon and Washington with some apparent missteps in the rollout of decriminalization programs: An audit of Oregon's program released in January 2023 found the legislation was vague in …

Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis
1 year, 2 months ago

Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. About 150 people from families …

Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis
1 year, 2 months ago

Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Andrea Thomas had never heard of fentanyl when her daughter died after taking half of a pill she thought was prescription medication. Five years later, she’s among hundreds of thousands of families who have lost a loved one as the U.S. undergoes the deadliest overdose crisis in its history. prevention is going to be our strongest asset.” In …

Prescription opioid shipments declined sharply even as fatal overdoses increased, new data shows
1 year, 3 months ago

Prescription opioid shipments declined sharply even as fatal overdoses increased, new data shows

Associated Press  

The number of prescription opioid pills shipped in the U.S. in the second half of the 2010s decreased sharply even as a nationwide overdose crisis continued to deepen, according to data released Tuesday. “We are still at an epidemic proportion of pills,” Peter Mougey, a lawyer representing governments that are suing drugmakers, distribution companies and pharmacies, said in an online …

Counterfeit pills involved in growing share of overdose deaths in the US, CDC study finds
1 year, 3 months ago

Counterfeit pills involved in growing share of overdose deaths in the US, CDC study finds

CNN  

CNN — Overdose deaths reached record levels in the United States in recent years, and a new report shows that counterfeit pills are involved in a growing share of those deaths. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl was involved in nearly all overdose deaths with evidence of counterfeit pills use, including more than two out of five deaths that were exclusively caused by …

Why is fentanyl so deadly?
1 year, 3 months ago

Why is fentanyl so deadly?

Hindustan Times  

As a medication, fentanyl subdues and reduces pain. Clinics, doctors' surgeries and chemists have been forced to ensure a proper disposal of fentanyl plasters, because people addicted to fentanyl have been known to search through trash cans, looking for used fentanyl plasters, as it's sometimes still possible to extract some of the drug from the plaster. People addicted to fentanyl …

Report on overdoses shows opioids remain a leading factor in accidental drug deaths in Australia
1 year, 3 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 …

Commentary: Pharmacies selling fentanyl-laced pills are deadly tourist traps in Mexico
1 year, 5 months ago

Commentary: Pharmacies selling fentanyl-laced pills are deadly tourist traps in Mexico

LA Times  

Medications are lined up on shelves in a pharmacy in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. A warning appeared on Tripadvisor on May 25, 2020: “Cabo pharmacies selling fentanyl laced pills.” The person posting under the moniker Spreadingfacts wrote, “My brother passed away last year after buying pills at a pharmacy in Cabo.” Over several posts, the writer said their brother died after …

'Tranq': the flesh-rotting drug adding to America's opioid crisis
1 year, 6 months ago

'Tranq': the flesh-rotting drug adding to America's opioid crisis

Hindustan Times  

Opioid addict Martin has seen the deadly fentanyl replace heroin as the most prevalent drug in New York. Now he's trying to avoid "tranq," a flesh-eating drug increasingly causing concern across America. Overdose deaths where tranq was detected have soared in recent years and in April the White House designated the drug an "emerging threat." "Fentanyl is a short-acting opioid …

A deadly new street drug caught the U.S. off guard. Experts say it'll happen again
1 year, 6 months ago

A deadly new street drug caught the U.S. off guard. Experts say it'll happen again

NPR  

A deadly new street drug caught the U.S. off guard. Experts say it'll happen again Enlarge this image toggle caption Kris Craig/The Providence Journal/USA Today Network via Reuters Kris Craig/The Providence Journal/USA Today Network via Reuters Public health and law enforcement agencies around the U.S. are scrambling to blunt the impact of xylazine, a deadly new threat to Americans who …

Homeless people fight to save lives, and stay alive, as L.A.’s fentanyl crisis worsens
1 year, 6 months ago

Homeless people fight to save lives, and stay alive, as L.A.’s fentanyl crisis worsens

LA Times  

Next to a row of tents covered with blue tarps on Skid Row, Jasmine Paredes watched a friend scribble a message on a lamppost with a pink Sharpie: L.A. — Fenty is #1 killa — may God help us all. I later crawled across the street to my friend’s tent and slept for another two days.” The Sidewalk Project — …

Fentanyl: The new face of the US war on the poor
1 year, 7 months ago

Fentanyl: The new face of the US war on the poor

Al Jazeera  

The US government is trying to blame the fentanyl crisis on drug trafficking but it is a disaster of its own making. At an April 14 news conference in Washington, DC, Drug Enforcement Agency chief Anne Milgram sounded the alarm about the country’s latest appointed public enemy number one: four Mexican guys known as “Los Chapitos”, the sons of imprisoned …

Drug overdoses in the US slightly increased last year. But experts see hopeful signs
1 year, 7 months ago

Drug overdoses in the US slightly increased last year. But experts see hopeful signs

Associated Press  

NEW ORLEANS — Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. went up slightly last year after two big leaps during the pandemic. We shouldn’t suggest the crisis is in any way over.” An estimated 109,680 overdose deaths occurred last year, according to numbers posted Wednesday by the CDC. Plus, the stigma that kept drug users from seeking help — and some …

Cops say they're being poisoned by fentanyl. Experts say the risk is 'extremely low'
1 year, 7 months ago

Cops say they're being poisoned by fentanyl. Experts say the risk is 'extremely low'

NPR  

Cops say they're being poisoned by fentanyl. Experts say the risk is 'extremely low' Last December, Officer Courtney Bannick was on the job for the Tavares, Fla., police department when she came into contact with a powder she believed was street fentanyl. Reports of police suffering severe medical symptoms after touching or inhaling powdered fentanyl are common, occurring "every few …

Fentanyl fuels string of deadly weekend overdoses in Portland, Oregon
1 year, 7 months ago

Fentanyl fuels string of deadly weekend overdoses in Portland, Oregon

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — A series of suspected drug overdoses left at least eight people dead over the weekend in Portland, Oregon, according to the city’s police bureau. Like many states around the country, Oregon in recent years has grappled with a surge in opioid overdose deaths fueled by fentanyl, a highly addictive and potentially lethal drug. In Multnomah County, home …

Column: Kids are dying from fentanyl. More prison time for dealers won’t help
1 year, 7 months ago

Column: Kids are dying from fentanyl. More prison time for dealers won’t help

LA Times  

A man living in the Tenderloin section of San Francisco displays what he claims to be the synthetic drug fentanyl. “It’s just really clear now from 50 years of trying to stop the supply, it doesn’t work,” Dr. David Goodman-Meza, an infectious disease doctor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, told me. But “kilo chasing” doesn’t work with …

Fentanyl overdoses contribute to surge in L.A. County homeless deaths
1 year, 7 months ago

Fentanyl overdoses contribute to surge in L.A. County homeless deaths

LA Times  

A devastating surge in drug overdoses drove up deaths among unhoused people in Los Angeles County in recent years, along with the rising toll of traffic collisions and homicides, according to a public health department report released Friday. The leading cause of death was drug overdoses, which made up more than a third of deaths among homeless people in L.A. …

13 arrested in connection with fentanyl-laced drugs that led to fatal overdoses
1 year, 7 months ago

13 arrested in connection with fentanyl-laced drugs that led to fatal overdoses

LA Times  

A sheriff’s deputy stands in front of a photo of fentanyl-laced pills during a 2021 announcement in Los Angeles of federal charges against suspected drug dealers. Thirteen people suspected of selling fentanyl-laced drugs that caused at least a dozen fatal overdoses in Southern California have been arrested, federal authorities said Tuesday. One of the men arrested, Dominick Kingdiamond Alvarado, 22, …

Fentanyl-related deaths among children increased more than 30-fold between 2013 and 2021
1 year, 7 months ago

Fentanyl-related deaths among children increased more than 30-fold between 2013 and 2021

CNN  

CNN — Fatal overdoses involving fentanyl have surged in recent years in the US and new research shows that deaths among children have increased significantly, mirroring trends among adults. There were about 1,550 pediatric deaths from fentanyl in 2021 – over 30 times more than in 2013, when the wave of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids started in the US. …

Total overdose: Drug-related deaths in San Francisco up by 41% in three months
1 year, 7 months ago

Total overdose: Drug-related deaths in San Francisco up by 41% in three months

Firstpost  

200 persons died of overdoses in the city in the last three months, up from 142 in the same period last year Drug-related deaths in San Francisco have increased by 41 per cent in the first quarter of 2023, with one person dying of an accidental overdose every 10 hours, reported The Guardian. According to the reports by San Francisco’s …

Nevada lawmakers the latest to debate harsher fentanyl laws
1 year, 8 months ago

Nevada lawmakers the latest to debate harsher fentanyl laws

Associated Press  

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A Nevada state Senate committee heard two bills on Monday that could make it the latest state to significantly reduce the amount of fentanyl possession eligible for trafficking charges in response to the largest overdoses crisis in U.S. history. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro’s bill gives illicit fentanyl its own substance category and prosecutes “knowingly …

US approves sale of overdose reversal drug without prescription
1 year, 8 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 …

Startling increase found in deaths of Orange County homeless people. Drugs are the main cause
1 year, 9 months ago

Startling increase found in deaths of Orange County homeless people. Drugs are the main cause

LA Times  

A man holds a naloxone kit, used to reverse opioid overdoses. More homeless people in Orange County are dying each year, and accidental drug overdoses involving fentanyl are a leading reason why, according to a new county report. Within a 10-year span, the report found, the number of deaths of people experiencing homelessness more than quadrupled, with 395 deaths recorded …

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