opioid epidemic

Narcan Opioid Overdose Spray Is Now Stocked By All Walgreens Pharmacies

5:43pm October 26, 2017

by Bill Chappell

Letting people get the medicine "without an individual prescription in 45 states is critical in combating this crisis," says the CEO of Narcan maker Adapt Pharma.

National

3 Counties, $59 Million And The Opioid Crisis

10:30am October 04, 2017

by Isabel Dobrin

The Justice Department pledged nearly $59 million in grants to address the opioid crisis. Here's a look at how that money will affect three communities facing an epidemic.

WBUR reporter Martha Bebinger (right) walks with Kristin, a drug user who says she has been repeatedly sexually assaulted while high on drugs.

Women With Opioid Addiction Live With Daily Fear Of Assault, Rape

2:50pm September 21, 2017

by Martha Bebinger

Such attacks among women and some men with an opioid addiction often go unreported because the victims fear retaliation from drug dealers or charges from police.

After a briefing on the opioid crisis with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, President Trump remarked on the severity of the epidemic but did not declare a national emergency, as his commission on opioids had recommended.

Some States Say Declaring An Emergency Has Helped In The Opioid Fight

3:37pm August 09, 2017

by Andrea Hsu

Arizona is among the states that have declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency, to help with funding and access to data. It's a move the Trump administration has declined to make.

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.

Queue Listen Now

Trump's 'Drug-Infested Den' Remark In Transcript Angers New Hampshire

3:43pm August 03, 2017

by Scott Neuman

The state's governor and U.S. senators were among those who took umbrage at President Trump's comment in a transcript of a phone conversation Trump had with Mexico's president in January.

National

Judge Promises Reduced Jail Time If Tennessee Inmates Get Vasectomies

6:42pm July 21, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

According to an order issued in May, people serving time in White County Jail can shave 30 days off their sentences if they obtain long-term contraception. Critics say the order is unconstitutional.

Medicaid spending on medications used to treat opioid addiction has risen sharply in recent years.

Medicaid Expansion Has Delivered Access To Addiction Treatment, Report Finds

1:34pm July 07, 2017

by Sarah Fentem

The Urban Institute reports that Medicaid spending on drugs used to treat opioid addiction and overdoses has risen sharply, raising questions about the potential impact of Medicaid cuts.

Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Jerome Adams is President Trump's nominee for U.S. Surgeon General.

Trump's Surgeon General Pick Built Reputation Fighting HIV And Opioids In Indiana

2:41pm July 05, 2017

by Emily Forman

Dr. Jerome Adams is credited with persuading then-Gov. Mike Pence to authorize syringe exchanges in the state. If confirmed, public health advocates are hopeful he'll have sway in Washington.

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.

Queue Listen Now