opioids

Georgia has stopped licensing new clinics that provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction. Some call the state's move irresponsible. Others say the clinics aren't regulated enough.

Opioid addiction treatment is a growth market, and private equity firms are buying up treatment centers and chains. But it's too soon to say how this might affect access to care and quality.

Deaths from opioid overdoses are on the rise, and we know that because of data on death certificates. States determine who fills them out and what information they record. And that can vary widely.

The FDA has approved the Probuphine implant for medication-assisted therapy for opioid addiction. It lasts for six months, compared to daily pills. But it also will be more expensive.

A year ago, NPR's Kelly McEvers went to rural Indiana and talked with drug addicts at the center of an opioid and HIV epidemic. She returned and found Joy, a nurse who lost everything.