overdose

Trump administration extends opioid emergency as fentanyl deaths drop

3:57pm March 19, 2025

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the Trump administration will continue to treat opioid overdoses as a "national security" emergency even as fentanyl deaths decline.

Medications like Suboxone and methodone are used to curb the physical effects of opioid withdrawal. ELISE AMENDOLA/AP

Health & Safety

Forsyth County health educator sees uptick in 911 overdose calls among minors

2:46pm March 13, 2025

by Santiago Ochoa

Hannah Phillips, a substance use educator for Forsyth County, is tracking youth overdoses and educating that demographic on the risks of drug use.

Queue Listen Now

Deadliest phase of fentanyl crisis eases, as all states see recovery

4:12am March 10, 2025

by Brian Mann

In some parts of the U.S., drug deaths have plunged to levels not seen since the fentanyl crisis exploded. Addiction experts say communities still face big challenges.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Forsyth County launches addiction treatment service through Mobile Integrated Healthcare Section

5:09pm August 28, 2024

by Santiago Ochoa

Forsyth County is among the first in the state to offer Medication Assisted Treatment during emergency overdose responses.

In a decade of drug overdoses, more than 320,000 American children lost a parent

12:51pm May 08, 2024

by Rhitu Chatterjee

New research documents how many children lost a parent to an opioid or other overdose in the period from 2011 to 2021. Bereaved children face elevated risks to their physical and emotional health.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken speaks Friday at the 67th Session of the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, Austria.

World News

Blinken warns deadly fentanyl crisis will spread globally

1:15pm March 15, 2024

by Brian Mann

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken says the U.S. is "a canary in the coal mine" as deadly synthetic street drugs spread.

Drug-related street crime in Portugal has dropped along with overdoses. "There's an impression in the U.S. that if you decriminalize drugs, it's a wild west," said Miguel Moniz at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon. "That hasn't been the case in Portugal."

How Portugal eased its opioid epidemic, while U.S. drug deaths skyrocketed

3:31pm February 24, 2024

by Brian Mann

Portugal cut drug deaths by 80%, using free health care and addiction treatment. The U.S., meanwhile, focused on drug busts and tough crime laws. Overdose deaths keep rising catastrophically.

Matt Capelouto, whose daughter died from a fentanyl overdose, speaks at a news conference outside the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Capelouto is among dozens of protesters who called on the Assembly to hear fentanyl-related bills as tension mounts over how to address the fentanyl crisis. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)

In 2023 fentanyl overdoses ravaged the U.S. and fueled a new culture war fight

2:26pm December 28, 2023

Fentanyl fueled unprecedented carnage with 112,000 fatal overdoses. The nation is increasingly divided over how to respond.

Queue Listen Now

Critics say U.S. government training videos like this one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exaggerate fears of fentanyl exposure among police.

Health & Safety

Cops say they're being poisoned by fentanyl. Experts say the risk is 'extremely low'

1:46pm May 17, 2023

by Brian Mann

Police officers regularly report being poisoned or overdosing after encountering trace amounts of fentanyl on the job. Experts say it's not happening.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Overdose deaths increase 22% in North Carolina

10:54am February 22, 2023

by Neal Charnoff

North Carolina officials say the state has experienced its highest number of overdoses ever in a single year.