fentanyl

Bea and Doug Duncan outside their home in Natick, Mass. The coaching they got from the Community Reinforcement and Family Training program, they say, gave them tools to help their son Jeff stick to his recovery from drug use. He's 28 now and has been sobe

Families Choose Empathy Over 'Tough Love' To Rescue Loved Ones From Opioids

1:34pm August 10, 2018

by Martha Bebinger

Families are starting to adopt an approach that stresses compassion instead of harsh consequences for loved ones with addiction. Their goal? Keep them alive long enough to recover.

Nevada death row inmate Scott Dozier, shown here during a 2017 court appearance, was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday night but the execution was postponed indefinitely.

National

Nevada Postpones Planned Execution Using Fentanyl

9:48pm July 11, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

Convicted murderer Scott Dozier has clearly and repeatedly stated that he wants to be put to death. It would be the first use of fentanyl in an execution in the U.S.

Health & Safety

Opioid Abuse Emerges As A Major Cause Of Children Entering Foster Care

4:42pm June 13, 2018

by Sean Bueter

A new report from a statewide child advocacy group suggests an increasing number of North Carolina children are entering foster care because their parents are abusing drugs like heroin and fentanyl

A small bag of straight fentanyl on display at the State Crime Lab at the Ohio Attorney General's headquarters of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in 2015. Nebraska police say they seized 118 pounds of fentanyl in April.

Nebraska Police Seize Record Amount Of Fentanyl

4:15pm May 25, 2018

by James Doubek

Nebraska law enforcement recently seized 118 pounds of drugs, which they now say was entirely fentanyl. It's one of the biggest fentanyl seizures in the U.S. and enough to kill millions of people.

Arlington, Mass., Police Chief Fred Ryan (right) and Inspector Gina Bassett review toxicology reports on cocaine evidence looking for the possibility of fentanyl.

Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine Becoming A Deadly Problem Among Drug Users

11:05am March 29, 2018

by Martha Bebinger

The powerful opioid fentanyl is showing up in batches of cocaine, threatening a new wave of opioid overdoses. Some doctors, drug users and law enforcement wonder if the contamination is deliberate.

Queue Listen Now

Images of the music superstar at Prince's Paisley Park Museum in Chanhassen, Minn. His death has been ruled accidental by the local medical examiner.

Prince Died With 'Exceedingly High' Level Of Fentanyl, Report States

2:22pm March 27, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

The confidential toxicology information was reported by AP less than a week after a local official said Prince's death investigation remains active. His family is considering a wrongful death lawsuit.

Health & Safety

North Carolina Sees Sharp Rise In Opioid Overdose Emergency Room Visits

6:11am March 21, 2018

by Bethany Chafin

There were over 5,700 emergency department visits for opioid overdoses in 2017. That amounts to a 40 percent increase from the year before.

A young man uses heroin under a bridge in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, a neighborhood that has become a hub for heroin use. The economic costs of the epidemic are mounting, researchers say, as the U.S. loses more and more workers in their prime

Cost Of U.S. Opioid Epidemic Since 2001 Is $1 Trillion And Climbing

1:05pm February 13, 2018

by Greg Allen

Economists tracking federal mortality data say the opioid crisis is undercutting the productivity of people in their prime working years — 30s and 40s.

A single company, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, funneled $4.7 million to advocacy groups over the five-year period, according to the report.

Health & Safety

Drugmakers Spent Millions Promoting Opioids To Patient Groups, Senate Report Says

11:54am February 13, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The report released by Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill says the cozy relationship between pain advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies may have played a key role in the opioid crisis.

LA Coroner: Tom Petty's Death Was Due To An Accidental Overdose

1:49am January 20, 2018

by Richard Gonzales

Family members said they hoped that the cause of his death would spark discussion about the power and danger of opioid drugs.