Latest Opioids News

At least 9 dead, dozens treated in Texas capital after unusual spike in overdoses

May. 01, 2024 16:59 PM EDT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Authorities in Texas are investigating at least nine deaths this week in connection with an unusual spike of opioid overdoses in Austin that health officials are calling the city's worst overdose outbreak in nearly a decade. Emergency responders in the Texas...

Georgia governor signs bill into law restricting land sales to some Chinese citizens

Apr. 30, 2024 16:42 PM EDT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday signed a bill into law limiting the ability of some Chinese citizens to buy land in the state. The bill, SB420, echoes measures already signed into law in numerous other states. It bans any “agent” of China from buying farmland...

California is joining with a New Jersey company to make a generic opioid overdose reversal drug

Apr. 29, 2024 17:41 PM EDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will soon begin selling its own generic version of Narcan — the drug that can save someone's life during an opioid overdose — under a deal announced Monday by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom as part of his effort to offer less expensive, state-branded options...

Canadian province will make changes to try to stop drug use in public places, premier says

Apr. 26, 2024 21:03 PM EDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The government of the Canadian province of British Columbia is making changes to its drug decriminalization policy to stop drug use in public places. Premier David Eby told a news conference Friday the province is asking the federal government to...

Police in Washington city issue alarm after 3 babies overdosed on fentanyl in less than a week

Apr. 26, 2024 17:59 PM EDT

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Officials are sounding alarms after a baby died and two others apparently also overdosed in the past week in separate instances in which fentanyl was left unsecured inside residences, authorities said. A 911 caller on Wednesday afternoon reported that a...

Mexico's chief detective apologizes for saying his country is the 'champion' of fentanyl production

Apr. 25, 2024 20:14 PM EDT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The head of Mexico’s detective service apologized Thursday for saying his country is “the champion” of fentany l and meth production. The comments Tuesday by Felipe de Jesus Gallo, the head of Mexico’s Criminal Investigation Agency, appeared to...

More doctors can prescribe a leading addiction treatment. Why aren't more people getting help?

Apr. 24, 2024 17:06 PM EDT

It’s easier than ever for doctors to prescribe a key medicine for opioid addiction since the U.S. government lifted an obstacle last year. But despite the looser restrictions and the ongoing overdose crisis, a new study finds little change in the number of people taking the medication. ...

The head of Mexico's detective service says his country is the 'champion' of fentanyl production

Apr. 23, 2024 19:10 PM EDT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The head of Mexico’s detective service acknowledged Tuesday that the country is “the champion” of fentanyl production, something that appears to run counter to past statements by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. López Obrador has hotly denied in...

House panel says China subsidizes fentanyl production to fuel crisis in the United States

Apr. 16, 2024 16:12 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — China is fueling the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. by directly subsidizing the manufacturing of materials that are used by traffickers to make the drug outside the country, according to a report released Tuesday by a special House committee focused on countering the Chinese...

Vertex Pharma scientist talks about the long road to developing non-addictive painkillers

Apr. 15, 2024 17:23 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — For decades, patients seeking medication for pain have had two choices: over-the-counter drugs like aspirin or powerful prescription opioids like oxycodone. Opioid prescriptions have plummeted over the last decade as doctors have become more attuned to the risks...