opioid epidemic

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 15: U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill November 15, 2017 in Washington, DC. Adams testified about co

Health & Safety

Surgeon General Urges More Americans To Carry Opioid Antidote

10:24am April 05, 2018

The drug naloxone can reverse opioid overdoses and save lives. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams says more Americans should have naloxone on hand in case loved ones, friends or neighbors need help.

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Researchers looked at states with medical marijuana dispensaries and those that allow home cultivation.

Opioid Use Lower In States That Eased Marijuana Laws

4:29pm April 02, 2018

by Richard Harris

Researchers looked at states with medical marijuana dispensaries and those that allow home cultivation. They found lower use of opioids, when compared with states where marijuana remains illegal.

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Mady Ohlman, who lives near Boston and has been sober for more than four years, says many drug users hit a point when the disease and the pursuit of illegal drugs crushes the will to live.

How Many Opioid Overdoses Are Suicides?

4:25pm March 28, 2018

by Martha Bebinger

Opioid overdoses and related deaths are still climbing, according to U.S. statistics. Teasing out which overdoses are intentional can be hard, but is important for treatment, doctors say.

Emergency rooms are seeing a jump in opioid overdoses. Timely treatment with naloxone can reverse the effects of opioids.

Jump In Overdoses Shows Opioid Epidemic Has Worsened

6:19pm March 06, 2018

by Rob Stein

Opioid overdoses increased 30 percent nationwide between 2016 and 2017, with some places showing even more dramatic spikes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Huntington, W.V. Fire Chief Jan Rader is a central figure in the Netflix documentary short Heroin(e).

'Heroin(e)': The Women Fighting Addiction In Appalachia

8:11am March 04, 2018

by Renee Montagne

An Oscar-nominated documentary short explores the country's opioid crisis through the heroism of women in Huntington, W.Va. — women like fire chief Jan Rader and drug court judge Patricia Keller.

Colorado State Rep. Brittany Pettersen (right) is advocating for more treatment money for opioid addiction, in part because of the substance abuse struggles of her mother, Stacy (left).

States Seek More Federal Funding For Opioid Treatment, Not More Promises

11:33am March 01, 2018

The Trump administration has talked about prioritizing the opioid crisis, but states have seen little in the way of new resources. And, in some states, getting into treatment is becoming even harder.

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Ashley Copeland (right) talks to her mom Sue Iverson in the Swedish Medical Center emergency department, near Denver. Copeland got a nerve-blocking anesthetic instead of opioids to ease her severe headache. At discharge she was advised to use over-the-cou

These 10 ERs Sharply Reduced Opioid Use And Still Eased Pain

11:18am February 23, 2018

by John Daley

Collaboration was key for the 10 emergency rooms that cut opioid prescriptions by 36 percent. Doctors say they now use less addictive medicines to manage pain and have shifted patients' expectations.

Bottles of Purdue Pharma L.P. OxyContin medication sit on a pharmacy shelf in Provo, Utah, in 2016.

Doctors In Maine Say Halt In OxyContin Marketing Comes '20 Years Late'

4:39pm February 13, 2018

by Patty Wight

Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, won't promote opioids to doctors anymore. In Maine, physicians say the change should have happened long ago.

Health & Safety

North Carolina DHHS Releases New Strategic Plan On Behavioral Health Services

3:07pm February 12, 2018

by Bethany Chafin

In North Carolina, the opioid epidemic claims the lives of, on average, more than 3 people a day, and it shows little sign of slowing down.

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The state of Alabama is suing Purdue Pharma LP, the maker of OxyContin, for allegedly fueling the opioid crisis by deceiving doctors about prescription painkillers.

Alabama Targets OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma In Opioid Suit

4:02pm February 07, 2018

by Samantha Raphelson

Alabama is one of several states, including Ohio and Mississippi, and municipalities filing suit against opioid manufacturers over deceptive marketing of prescription painkillers.