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drug overdoses

NPR
Shots - Health News
A man uses a safe injection site in New York City in January. A bill in California would allow pilot sites in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles.

California debates opening supervised sites for people to use drugs

May 23, 2022
Advocates of the proposal say it would prevent overdoses, slow the spread of HIV and inspire drug users to seek help, while proponents say safe injection sites would create an "open drug scene."
NPR
Shots - Health News
Containers of pills and prescription drugs are boxed for disposal during the Drug Enforcement Administration's 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 24, 2021. Nearly 108,000 people died in 2021 from drug overdoses.

Overdose deaths continued to rise in 2021, reaching historic highs

May 11, 2022
New numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that synthetic opioid use is driving the overdose crisis in the U.S.
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NPR
Health
A drug overdose rescue kit is pictured in Buffalo, N.Y. The Biden administration plans to increase access to clean needles, fentanyl test strips and naloxone to combat drug overdose deaths.

Drug overdose deaths are at a record high. Here's what the White House plans to do

Apr 21, 2022
Harm reduction is one of four policies the Biden administration says must be immediately implemented in order to address the record high number of overdose deaths.
NPR
Coronavirus Updates

U.S. Life Expectancy Fell By 1.5 Years In 2020, The Biggest Drop Since WWII

Jul 20, 2021
The CDC says COVID-19 was the largest factor, along with drug overdoses, homicides, diabetes and chronic liver disease. The decline was even greater for Hispanic men.
NPR
Simon Says
Bags of heroin, some laced with fentanyl, are displayed before a press conference regarding a major drug bust, at the office of the New York attorney general in New York City on Sept. 23, 2016.

Opinion: 2020's Other Medical Crisis

Jul 17, 2021
Scott Simon notes the 30 percent increase of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during the first year of the pandemic.
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NPR
Shots - Health News
Death rates in the U.S. declined and life expectancy showed a slight uptick in 2018, while drug overdose deaths declined for the first time since the 1990s.

Life Expectancy Rose Slightly In 2018, As Drug Overdose Deaths Fell

Jan 29, 2020
The turnaround is welcome news after rising drug overdose and suicide rates had pushed life expectancy down since 2014. Could America be turning the tide on opioid addiction?
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NPR
National
Main Street, St. Clairsville, Ohio (population about 5,000), the county seat of Belmont County.

Drug Overdoses Contribute To Rise In Midlife Mortality In Ohio River Valley

Dec 23, 2019
Life expectancy in the U.S. has taken a significant downward turn. This is especially true in Ohio and West Virginia, which have the highest rates of overdose deaths among people ages 25 to 64.
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NPR
National
Pittsburgh police investigators gather outside an apartment building on the city's South Side where police say multiple people are dead and others are hospitalized in what they believe to be an isolated drug overdose incident.

3 Are Dead And 4 Hospitalized From Drug Overdoses, Pittsburgh Police Say

Sep 22, 2019
All the victims were wearing orange wristbands and are believed to have attended the same event Saturday night, but authorities say they overdosed afterward at a private residence.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Nationally, drug overdose deaths reached record levels in 2017, when a group protested in New York City on Overdose Awareness Day on August 31. Deaths appear to have declined slightly in 2018, based on provisional numbers, but nearly 68,000 people still

U.S. Overdose Deaths Dipped In 2018, But Some States Saw 'Devastating' Increases

Jul 18, 2019
Provisional overdose data for 2018 show a note of hope in an overall bleak picture. But in some states, the numbers actually got worse. What explains the disparities?
NPR
Research News
Used syringes are discarded at a needle exchange clinic in Vermont in 2014. Americans' odds of dying from an opioid overdose have risen in recent years.

Report: Americans Are Now More Likely To Die Of An Opioid Overdose Than On The Road

Jan 13, 2019
Americans now have a 1 in 96 chance of dying from an opioid overdose, according to new analysis from the National Safety Council.
NPR
Shots - Health News
The 2016 viral photo of a couple passed out in a car while a child sits in the back seat triggered a painful moment of self-reflection in East Liverpool, Ohio. The community took steps to address its addiction problem, but progress has been spotty.

'Nowhere To Go But Up ' — A Small Town Confronts Its Addiction Crisis

Dec 15, 2018
Two years after East Liverpool, Ohio, gained notoriety from a viral photo of an overdosed couple, the community is coming to terms with its addiction problem — and taking tentative steps forward.
NPR
Shots - Health News
A highly potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl is often mixed in to other drugs sold on the street, including pills, heroin and even cocaine.

Fentanyl Surpasses Heroin As Drug Most Often Involved In Deadly Overdoses

Dec 12, 2018
When fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, infiltrated the drug supply in the U.S. it had an immediate, dramatic effect on the overdose rate.
NPR
National
A police officer speaks to a man walking on New Haven Green, Wednesday, Aug. 15, in New Haven, Conn. More than a 100 people fell ill from suspected drug overdoses linked to a batch of synthetic marijuana laced with fubinaca.

Police Arrest Third Suspect In New Haven Synthetic Marijuana Overdose Case

Aug 17, 2018
Over three days, more than 100 people fell ill after smoking a batch of K2 officials say was laced with AB-Fubinaca. Police Chief Anthony Campbell said chemical was "knocking people down."
NPR
Shots - Health News

Benzodiazepines: America's 'Other Prescription Drug Problem'

Apr 26, 2018
Drugs like Valium, Xanax and Ativan are more popular than ever. Frequently used to treat anxiety, the medicines can be risky, especially when mixed with alcohol or opioids.
NPR
Here & Now Compass
Despite increased access to overdose rescue kits containing opioid antidotes like naloxone, Pittsburgh paramedic James Dlutowski says the government should focus efforts on funding for addiction treatment.

'They Need Help': Trump Faces Backlash For Slow Response To Opioid Crisis

Oct 26, 2017
A paramedic in Pittsburgh says he and his team respond to opioid overdoses "probably at least daily." President Trump declared the crisis a public health emergency on Thursday.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Brian Rockett runs a wholesale lobster business in Maine, despite his chronic pain from past injuries. He needs high doses of opioids to be able to work, he says, and his doctor agrees.

Intent On Reversing Its Opioid Epidemic, A State Limits Prescriptions

Aug 23, 2017
Maine is among a handful of states putting limits on the painkiller dose that doctors can prescribe a patient. Some doctors and patients say the law is helping, while others say it goes too far.
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NPR
Around the Nation
Mayor Megan Barry smiles as she shakes hands with Judge Richard Dinkins at her inauguration in 2015. Her son, Max Barry (center), died last month of a drug overdose, his parents said. Mayor Barry intends to use her platform to "inspire and encourage othe

Nashville Mayor, Mourning Son's Overdose Death, Aims To Save Other Children

Aug 08, 2017

"Max is not going to text me back. I'm not going to hear his voice again," Mayor Megan Barry said of her only child. The 22-year-old died last month of an apparent overdose near Denver.

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NPR
Shots - Health News
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

May 16, 2017
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.
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NPR
Shots - Health News
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

Apr 06, 2017
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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NPR
Shots - Health News
A pair of studies show declines in opioid use by young people, including prescription use, intentional misuse and accidental poisonings.

Studies Suggest Cautious Optimism About Declines In Teen Opioid Use

Mar 20, 2017
A pair of long-term studies found fewer children and teenagers are coming in contact with opioids, and that hospitalizations from the drugs are down. The same is not true for adults.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Teenagers are most at risk for opioid poisoning, but the rate more than doubled for toddlers from 1997 to 2012.

More Children Are Being Poisoned By Prescription Opioids

Oct 31, 2016
Whether it's toddlers mistaking pills for candy or teenagers taking opioids on purpose, the huge rise in access to opioid painkillers has led to more children being poisoned and hospitalized.
NPR
Shots - Health News
At his home in Haverhill, Mass., Colin LePage leafs through newspapers he shows to middle-schoolers to educate them about the dangers of drugs.

Organ Donations Spike In The Wake Of The Opioid Epidemic

Oct 14, 2016
So far this year, more than 1 in 4 donations in New England are from people who died after a drug overdose — a much higher rate than in the U.S. overall, though it's not clear why.
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NPR
Shots - Health News
Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco, the coroner for Hamilton County, Ohio, worries about the paucity of information about how carfentanil, an animal drug, affects humans.

Deadly Opioid Overwhelms First Responders And Crime Labs in Ohio

Sep 25, 2016
Carfentanil, a potent variation on fentanyl, is being blamed for a wave of opioid overdoses. In Cincinnati, the coroner, crime lab and first responders are struggling to keep up.
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NPR
Shots - Health News
First responders have found that standard doses of naloxone aren't always enough to counteract the powerful sedating effects of carfentanil.

An Even Deadlier Opioid, Carfentanil, Is Hitting The Streets

Sep 02, 2016

Carfentanil, a powerful opioid used to sedate elephants, is being blamed for a record spike in drug overdoses in the Midwest. It's much stronger, and riskier, than heroin or fentanyl.

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NPR
Shots - Health News
Diazepam, also known as Valium, is used to treat anxiety and insomnia. But when combined with opioids, it can suppress breathing and cause death.

FDA Boosts Warning On Danger Of Combining Opioids And Anxiety Meds

Aug 31, 2016
Doctors increasingly prescribe opioid painkillers with benzodiazepines — medications used to treat anxiety and insomnia. That combination is causing a spike in overdoses and deaths, the FDA warns.

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