heroin

George Patterson is one of the volunteers who run Phoenix's only syringe exchange program, a mobile program called Shot in the Dark.

Fight The Opioid Epidemic, All Agree. But Strategies Vary Widely

11:47am December 19, 2017

by Will Stone

Officials across Arizona agree that the state must solve its growing opioid problem. But some people fear that several strategies under consideration encourage drug use.

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The shelter at Houston's Convention Center, seen here Aug. 29, isn't equipped to provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid abuse.

Houston Methadone Clinics Reopen After Harvey's Flooding

9:36am September 06, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

Hurricane Harvey disrupted treatment for people addicted to opioids. Many need to get connected to a specialty clinic that can provide medication-assisted treatment.

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Health & Safety

Support Group Helps Families Cope With Opioid Deaths

4:49pm August 18, 2017

by David Ford

This coming Tuesday, the not-for-profit Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro&

A vaccine against heroin wouldn't be like the measles vaccine that you receive once for a lifetime of immunity, say scientists working on it. Multiple shots per year would likely be required, and it would be specific to just heroin and morphine.

Health & Safety

A 'Vaccine For Addiction' Is No Simple Fix

6:22pm August 10, 2017

by Richard Harris

Scientists are trying to develop a vaccine to block the euphoria of heroin without interfering with other pain relief. The Trump administration hopes the approach might help with the opioid epidemic.

Andrea Towson used heroin for more than three decades. After a near-death experience with fentanyl, she sought help.

'That Fentanyl — That's Death': A Story Of Recovery In Baltimore

6:36pm August 03, 2017

Andrea Towson was known in West Baltimore as the go-to person for help getting high. Last year, she nearly died from a fentanyl overdose. "Thank God for another day," she says.

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The maker of a medical treatment for opioid abuse has successfully lobbied statehouses around the country to pass policies that sway addiction treatment practices in favor of the company's drug.

A Drugmaker Tries To Cash In On The Opioid Epidemic, One State Law At A Time

9:32pm June 12, 2017

by Jake Harper

The maker of one medical treatment for opioid abuse has successfully lobbied statehouses around the country to pass policies that tilt addiction treatment practices in favor of the company's drug.

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Crime

Poppy Plant Bust In Catawba County

4:51pm May 23, 2017

by Eddie Garcia

In Catawba County, law enforcement officers are seizing an acre of poppies, the plant used in making drugs like heroin.

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A test strip designed to help doctors check a patient's urine for fentanyl is being distributed in the Bronx to encourage users of heroin or other opioids to check what's in their syringe before they inject.

An Experiment Helps Heroin Users Test Their Street Drugs For Fentanyl

4:34pm May 16, 2017

by Mary Harris

Some people on heroin die because the drug was laced with something much stronger — like fentanyl. A few needle exchange programs give users test strips to check their drug's content before injecting.

A rodent named Snuggles was saved by volunteers at an overdose prevention site, after expereincing a heroin overdose.

Health & Safety

Pet Rat In Vancouver Overdoses On Heroin, Saved By Narcan

2:17pm May 16, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

Snuggles ate some heroin, according to the woman who brought the little rodent into an overdose prevention site in Canada. Volunteers administered a drug that reverses opioid overdoses.

Used syringes rest in a pile at a needle exchange clinic in St. Johnsbury, Vt. The CDC says needle exchanges like this one, where users can obtain clean needles, help reduce the rates of death and transmission among those suffering from hepatitis C.

Heroin Epidemic Is Driving A Spike In Hepatitis C Cases, CDC Says

6:37pm May 11, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

From 2010 to 2015, the number of new infections leaped nearly 300 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And researchers appear confident of the cause.