Latest Opioids News
House panel says China subsidizes fentanyl production to fuel crisis in the United States
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
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...
Mexico, a leading producer of illicit fentanyl, can't get enough for medical use, study finds
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A report released by the Mexican government Friday says the country is facing a dire shortage of fentanyl for medical use, even as Mexican cartels pump out tons of the illicit narcotic. The paradox was reported in a study by Mexico’s National Commission on...
Police say fentanyl killed 8-year-old Kentucky boy, not an allergic reaction to strawberries
MADISONVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An 8-year-old Kentucky boy died of a fentanyl overdose last month, not from eating a batch of strawberries, authorities said this week. The family had told police they believed the boy had an allergic reaction and took him to a hospital with a rash. Police...
Hepatitis C cases dropped in the US. Health officials aren't sure if it's a blip or a trend
NEW YORK (AP) — New U.S. hepatitis C infections dropped slightly in 2022, a surprising improvement after more than a decade of steady increases, federal health officials said Wednesday. Experts are not sure whether the 6% decline is a statistical blip or the start of a downward...
2 men charged with providing fentanyl-laced heroin that killed a prominent NYC transgender activist
NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities charged two men with providing the fentanyl-laced heroin that killed prominent New York city transgender activist Cecilia Gentili in February, federal prosecutors said Monday. Text messages, cell site data, and other evidence showed that 52-year-old...
Oregon governor signs a bill recriminalizing drug possession into law
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon's Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek on Monday signed into law a bill that recriminalizes the possession of small amounts of drugs, ending a first-in-the-nation experiment with decriminalization that was hobbled by implementation issues. The new law rolls back a...
Children's author Kouri Richins hit with new charges alleging earlier attempt to kill her husband
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah woman who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband in 2022, then published a children’s book about grief, now faces another attempted murder charge for allegedly drugging him weeks earlier on Valentine's Day. Kouri Richins, 33, is accused of...
British man who poisoned couple with fentanyl and monitored their death via app sentenced to life
LONDON (AP) — A British IT worker who befriended and worked for an older couple, poisoned them with fentanyl and monitored their death with his cellphone was sentenced Friday to a minimum 37 years in prison. The sentencing of Luke D’Wit, 34, came two days after he was found...
Washington Gov. Inslee signs fentanyl bill sending money to disproportionately affected tribes
TULALIP, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a multimillion-dollar measure to send state money to tribes and Indigenous people in the state who die from opioid overdoses at disproportionately high rates in Washington. It was one of seven fentanyl-related bills...
