Overdoses

The U.S. remains mired in an opioid crisis, with dangerous synthetic opioids such as fentanyl dominating the illicit drug market and driving steep increases in overdose deaths.

The drummer died with 10 different substances in his body, including marijuana, opioids, tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines.

Erik Kay faces a minimum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The preteen was the youngest individual to die of a fentanyl overdose in Santa Clara County in 2020, local officials said.

"Drug traffickers are harnessing social media because it is accessible," DEA administrator Anne Milgram warned Sunday.

America saw record-high overdose deaths in the first year of the pandemic, which many experts attribute to isolation, job loss and lack of access to treatment.

Policy changes take time, but there are actions that we can all take today, and it starts with compassion and decreasing the stigma.

A toxicology report determined that the cause of Hayes' death was "acute intoxication" due to the combined effects of the two substances, his family revealed.

"Narcan should be readily available, especially in areas where there are potential drug overdoses, said Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich.

Comedian Fuquan Johnson was among three people who died over the weekend after reportedly taking cocaine laced with fentanyl.

"This is dangerous misinformation that can cause harm to both people who use opioids and to members of the law enforcement community," the petition reads.

The world's first biometric opioid vending machine was recently launched in Vancouver, British Columbia, in an attempt to reduce overdose deaths.

Due in part to these deaths, the United States is the only wealthy nation in modern times to exhibit a decline in average life expectancy.

Accidental overdoses continue to claim tens of thousands of lives each year, but doctors who prescribe medication for opioid use disorders are very hard to track down.

All but one of the overdoses appeared accidental, claiming the lives of six people under 30, including a seventeen-year-old.

The drug is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl, according to the DEA.

People largely do not become addicted to opioids after visits to the emergency room for car crashes, falls and other types of acute injuries that might warrant prescription painkillers, a new study shows.

But federal policies to slow the opioid crisis could be supporting the market demand for these drugs, public health experts warn

Figuring out the best response has been a challenge for authorities, amid a resurgence in meth throughout the nation.

Earlier this week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made quick work of destroying more than 16,000 pounds of drugs collected on its National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, according to reporting by NJTV News.

"The pharmaceutical industry is being scapegoated for something where there's plenty of blame to go around," says Northeastern University's Leo Beletsky.

With recent criticism comparing opioid settlements to the tobacco settlements from decades ago—where billions of dollars went unaccounted for—all eyes are on local officials and their burgeoning settlement coffers.

"We know that many individuals are going to be detoxing while they're in our custody, and we know that people are highly susceptible to overdose upon release," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told the Houston Chronicle.

"We're focusing really heavily on restricting access to prescription opioids, but that's because it's what we're comfortable doing," Travis Rieder said. "There's not actually any evidence that these cuts save lives."

After hundreds of chronic pain patients begged the Drug Enforcement Administration to reconsider its proposed cuts to opioid production, the agency told Newsweek it's not responsible for their inability to get prescriptions.

"We apologize for this tragedy," head of Mount Carmel West hospital said.

The researchers were surprised how effective tactics like taking doctors for dinner were when it came to covertly influencing the drugs they prescribed.

Officials believe at least 18 people have possibly overdosed on the synthetic drug known as K2.

Being famous isn't all glitz and glamour. There's also a dark side to the lives of many celebrities.

"This fast-moving epidemic does not stay within state and county lines."