overdose deaths

Fentanyl deaths in the U.S. have dropped faster than expected, CDC says

4:46pm October 17, 2024

If the downward trend holds, this year is expected to be the first since 2020 to see overdose deaths fall below the 100,000 mark. However, Black and Native American communities remain vulnerable.

The pipeline of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. may be drying up, experts say

5:00am October 01, 2024

Street fentanyl has long been viewed as unstoppable. Now many experts say the supply of the deadly synthetic opioid is suddenly drying up in many parts of the U.S. and fatal overdoses are dropping.

Queue Listen Now

2 doctors are charged in connection to 'Friends' actor Matthew Perry’s ketamine death

2:56pm August 15, 2024

Five people, including two California doctors, have been charged in connection with the 2023 death of the Friends actor, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills are flooding U.S. streets, but other street drugs, including methamphetamine and cocaine, are killing more and more people.

U.S. drug deaths declined slightly in 2023 but remained at crisis levels

1:27pm May 15, 2024

by Brian Mann

Powerful synthetic opioids and drugs like meth and cocaine still flood U.S. communities, fueling historically high overdose deaths.

'I ain't found it yet.' No line this mother won't cross to save her addicted daughter

5:52pm December 12, 2023

by Martha Bebinger

Renae was so desperate to keep her child alive when so many others have died from overdose that she resorted to extreme measures — and extreme risks. She now supervises drug use in her own home.

Queue Listen Now

The number of overdoses that involve both fentanyl and stimulants like cocaine and meth is growing fast. One way people who use drugs can protect themselves is by using test strips to check for the presence of fentanyl in other drugs.

Fentanyl mixed with cocaine or meth is driving the '4th wave' of the overdose crisis

12:01am September 14, 2023

by Scott Maucione

A new study finds a 50-fold growth in deaths from combined use of stimulants and opioids. The toxic and contaminated drug supply is to blame.

Forsyth County seeks public input for opioid funds

4:22pm July 27, 2022

by Keri Brown

Local governments across North Carolina are starting to see the first payments from a national multi-billion dollar

More than 91,000 people in the U.S. died from drug overdoses in 2020. There were sharp increases among certain racial groups, a new report finds.

Health & Safety

U.S. death toll from drug overdoses is rising fast among Black and Indigenous people

5:00am July 20, 2022

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Drug overdoses are killing more people than ever in the U.S., and a new CDC report finds growing racial disparities among those who have died — with the largest increase among Black Americans.

A bag of assorted pills and prescription drugs dropped off for disposal is displayed during the Drug Enforcement Administration's 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day earlier this year in Los Angeles. According to the Centers for Disease Control

National

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. have topped 100,000 for the first time

3:24pm November 17, 2021

by Brian Mann

The Biden administration scrambles to respond as new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show overdose deaths surged to more than 100,000 fatalities.

A man gets care in an ambulance after overdosing in San Francisco, California.

National

San Francisco's new rapid response teams race to save lives as ODs dramatically rise

6:00am November 03, 2021

by Eric Westervelt

The city's per capita overdose death rate is among the highest in the U.S. To help address the crisis, city officials launched Street Overdose Response Teams, part of a broader public health effort.