Drug abuse

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 22, 2020 file photo, New Orleans City Councilperson Jason Williams arrives at the Clerk of Criminal District Courts to qualify for the Orleans Parish DA race in New Orleans, La. Jason Williams takes the oath of office as the city’s new district attorney on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021 facing budget challenges, a pandemic-related backlog of cases and high expectations from criminal justice reform advocates who rallied around his campaign — despite his indictment on federal tax charges. (Max Becherer/The Advocate via AP, File)

For New Orleans' new prosecutor, high hopes, a legal cloud

Jan. 11, 2021 2:34 PM EST

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A New Orleans city council member took the oath of office as the city’s new district attorney Monday, facing a pandemic-related backlog of cases and high expectations from criminal justice reform advocates who rallied around him — despite his indictment on federal tax...

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller (83) makes a reception against the Miami Dolphins during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

TE Darren Waller closes in on Tim Brown's Raiders record

Jan. 1, 2021 4:12 PM EST

Darren Waller has come a long way in just over two years since the Raiders plucked him off Baltimore’s practice squad. After nearly ruining his career because of a drug addiction, Waller has turned into one of the game’s most productive tight ends and is closing in on the franchise record for...

In this image from House Television, David Sackler, a member of the family that owns Purdue Pharma testifies via video to a House Oversight Committee hearing Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. Members of the family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma have acknowledged the drug had a role in the opioid crisis but have stopped short of apologizing or admitting wrongdoing. (House Television via AP)

Family behind OxyContin attests to its role in opioid crisis

Dec. 17, 2020 4:53 PM EST

Two owners of the company that makes OxyContin acknowledged to Congress on Thursday that the powerful prescription painkiller played a role in the opioid epidemic but they stopped short of apologizing or admitting wrongdoing. “I want to express my family’s deep sadness about the opioid...

FILE - This Feb. 19, 2013, file photo shows OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. A bipartisan congressional investigation released Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, found that key players in the nation’s opioid industry have spent $65 million since 1997 funding nonprofits that advocate treating pain with medications, a strategy intended to boost the sale of prescription painkillers. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

Senate report: Opioid industry has paid advocacy groups $65M

Dec. 16, 2020 7:42 PM EST

A bipartisan congressional investigation released Wednesday found that key players in the nation’s opioid industry have spent $65 million since 1997 funding nonprofits that advocate treating pain with medications, a strategy intended to boost the sale of prescription painkillers. The report from Sens....

Jill Cichowicz, an advocate for opioid addiction treatment, displays a photo of her and her brother, Scott Zebnwski, who died of an opioid overdose at age 38, in her home in Midlothian, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Money promised to combat US overdose crisis sits unused

Nov. 25, 2020 10:57 AM EST

When it filed for bankruptcy last year, Purdue Pharma agreed to an innovative plan: It would make $200 million available immediately to help those those harmed by its signature painkiller, OxyContin, and ease the effects of the opioid crisis. More than a year later, with the crisis worsening, not a penny has been...

FILE - In this June 28, 2019, file photo, former Honolulu deputy prosecutor Katherine Kealoha walks into federal court for a hearing in Honolulu. Kealoha, convicted of conspiracy in Hawaii's biggest corruption case, apologized for her actions in a handwritten letter to the judge Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, and blamed a prescription drug addiction for clouding her judgement. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File)

Ex-prosecutor writes of drug addiction in sentencing letter

Nov. 24, 2020 11:49 PM EST

HONOLULU (AP) — A former Honolulu prosecutor, convicted of conspiracy in Hawaii's biggest corruption case that also took down her police chief husband, apologized for her actions in a handwritten letter to the judge Tuesday and blamed a prescription drug addiction for clouding her judgement. Katherine...