opioid

Charmayne Healy (l) and Miranda Kirk (r), co-founders of the Aaniiih Nakoda Anti-Drug Movement, have helped Melinda Healy, center, with their peer-support programs.

Two Sisters Try To Tackle Drug Use At A Montana Indian Reservation

5:00am May 27, 2017

by Nora Saks

With a lack of treatment options at the Fort Belknap reservation, the pair has sparked a grassroots response to substance abuse by creating peer support groups — the only choice for many seeking help.

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 public restroom on the platform of the Central Square MBTA station in Cambridge, Mass., which people have used as a place for getting high.

Public Restrooms Become Ground Zero In The Opioid Epidemic

5:34pm May 08, 2017

by Martha Bebinger

People often turn to public restrooms as a place to get high on opioids. It has led some establishments to close their facilities, while others are training employees to help people who overdose.

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An advocacy group says a move at the Drug Enforcement Agency to hire prosecutors is another signal of how the Justice Department is changing under Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

DEA Seeks Prosecutors To Fight Opioid Crisis; Critics Fear Return To War On Drugs

5:00am May 04, 2017

by Carrie Johnson

The Drug Enforcement Administration wants to hire prosecutors "to hold accountable the people who are facilitating addiction." Advocacy groups worry the move would exceed the DEA's legal authority.

Lisa, a client at the AAC Needle Exchange and Overdose Prevention Program in Cambridge, Mass. Nearly five years after an opioid overdose she still limps — possibly because of damage the drug cocktail did to her nerves or muscles.

What Doesn't Kill You Can Maim: Unexpected Injuries From Opioids

2:42pm April 13, 2017

by Martha Bebinger

Emergency room doctors are just beginning to study a new kind of casualty in the opioid epidemic — patients who survive an overdose, but walk away with brain damage, kidney failure or dead muscle.

Allyson and Eddie, clients at the AAC Needle Exchange and Overdose Prevention Program in Cambridge, Mass., say they carry naloxone and try to never use drugs alone to reduce the risk of overdosing.

Fentanyl Adds A New Terror For People Abusing Opioids

5:14pm April 06, 2017

by Martha Bebinger

People who abuse opioids are well aware of the risk posed by fentanyl, a powerful anesthetic that's increasingly slipped into heroin and other drugs. They're coming up with new tactics to survive.

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Christopher Milford in his apartment in East Boston, Mass. He quit abusing opioids after getting endocarditis three times.

Doctors Consider Ethics Of Costly Heart Surgery For People Addicted To Opioids

11:19am March 21, 2017

by Jack Rodolico

A troubling trend has followed the opioid epidemic: People who use intravenous drugs are getting heart infections, driving up hospital bills and stirring an ethical debate among doctors.

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A drug lethal enough to be used as a chemical weapon — called carfentanil — has made its way into the illicit opiate trade.

Lethal Opiates Delivered By Mail From China, Killing Addicts In The U.S.

8:30am March 11, 2017

by Arun Rath

Carfentanil's a highly potent opioid. It is blamed for hundreds of lethal overdoses. Much of it reaches the U.S. from China, via the U.S. Postal Service. Now, China's announced a ban on the substance.

Winston-Salem Police Get A Refill Of Overdose Fighting Drug

2:41pm March 09, 2017

by Eddie Garcia

The Winston Salem Police Department is getting a new supply of a drug that will help save lives.

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After about a week in detox, the men spend 60 to 90 days in this room during their treatment at Recovery Point.

In West Virginia, Men In Recovery Look To Trump For A 'Helping Hand'

4:25pm February 08, 2017

by Sarah McCammon

Residents of a drug treatment center in Huntington, W.Va., hope President Trump follows through on promises to fight the addiction crisis. Many are worried about how they'll pay for their health care.