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San Diego Deploying Free Narcan Vending Machines to Help Combat Opioid Epidemic
San Diego County could soon have a new weapon in its arsenal to help fight its growing problem with opioid addiction.
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Record Number of Americans Died of Overdose Deaths in 2021, CDC Says
The Centers for Disease Control revealed Wednesday that the U.S. set a grim record in 2021 with 107,000 overdose deaths.
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Biden Drug Control Plan Stresses Harm Reduction, Treatment
President Joe Biden is sending his administration’s first national drug control strategy to Congress
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Florida Groups Canvass Spring Breakers to Warn of Fentanyl
Community activists in South Florida sprang into action after West Point cadets on spring break were sickened by fentanyl-laced cocaine at a house party
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Treatment for Opioid Addiction Often Brings Discrimination
There often is a serious downside for people taking medications that have a long track record of helping treat opioid addiction: discrimination
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States Look for Solutions as US Fentanyl Deaths Keep Rising
With fentanyl driving fatal overdoses to record levels in the U.S., state governments are scrambling for solutions
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Pharmacies Face 1st Trial Over Role in Opioid Crisis
A bellwether trial is set to start Monday in federal court in Cleveland to determine whether retail pharmacy chains are liable for costs related to the opioid crisis in two Ohio counties
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Scientists Eye Opioid Vaccine as a Shot to Stem Overdose Epidemic
A trial is now underway for a potential opioid vaccine — meant to protect against a deadly opioid overdose.
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‘Sweetheart Deal' With OxyContin Maker Leaves Families Angry, Conflicted
A landmark settlement in the nation’s opioid epidemic is forcing the owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to give up the company and pay out $4.5 billion
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US Overdose Deaths Hit Record 93,000 in Pandemic Last Year
Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic
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How to Talk to Kids About Drugs When ‘Lean' is All Over Hip Hop Tracks
Many hip hop songs normalize opioids and other drugs, a fact that is left out of public health approaches to the opioid epidemic, says Kaiser Health News reporter Chaseedaw Giles. At the same time, many people are unaware of side effects like withdrawal – which could be solved with public health messaging that looks to the culture and incorporates it.
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Doctors Who Say No to Opioid Use Face Threats From Patients
Doctors say they’re facing increasing threats of violence for refusing to prescribe opioids or trying to wean patients off the addictive painkillers.
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CDC Finds ‘Substantial Increase' In Overdose Deaths During Pandemic
The CDC reports that overdose fatalities in the U.S. have spiked during the coronavirus pandemic.
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‘People Are Having a Very, Very Hard Time Maintaining Recovery' in Pandemic, Drug Addiction Specialists Say
Doctors explain the stress of isolation, loss of work and loss of health coverage are partially to blame — but they’re finding that something else is causing the spike in overdoses.
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Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty for Role in Opioid Crisis
Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the painkiller Oxycontin, pleaded guilty to charges for its role in the opioid crisis.
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Purdue Pharma Agrees to Plead Guilty Over Aggressive OxyContin Marketing
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that Purdue Pharma agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges for their marketing of OxyContin.
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Judge Paves Way for Nation's 1st Supervised Injection Site in South Philly
A federal judge entered a final order Tuesday on his ruling last year that a nonprofit’s proposal to open the nation’s first supervised injection site for opioid users in Philadelphia does not violate federal law.
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San Diego Doctor Accused of Getting High While Treating Patients: Lawsuit
A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in San Diego claims a lack of proper supervision and procedures allowed a local doctor to get high while treating patients. The complaint – filed on Jan. 24 – claims the UC San Diego Medical Center played a years-long game of “Russian Roulette by failing to tell hundreds of patients that a drug-addicted…
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9-Month-Old Overdoses on Fentanyl, Parents Charged
Police said they found multiple medicine bottles around the family’s Bensalem apartment including one in the baby’s swing.
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To Battle Opioid Crisis, Some Track Overdoses in Real Time
Overdose tracking systems are giving near real-time glimpses into the ravages of the opioid-fueled drug crisis. The Hudson Valley Interlink Analytic System in New York is among a number of surveillance systems being adopted around the country by police, government agencies and community groups.