Heroin use up 80% since 2007
Heroin use skyrocketed by more than 80% nationwide from 2007 to 2012, with the number of heroin users rising from about 373,000 to 669,000 in 2012, according to this article, which cites data from the...
View ArticleNon-tamper-proof Oxy hitting U.S. from Canada
An older form of the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin that has been banned in the United States is still showing up in some areas of the country, possibly making the journey from Canada,...
View ArticleFedEx faces drug-trafficking charges
FedEx Corp. is facing charges that it delivered prescription painkillers and other controlled substances for illegal Internet pharmacies. The charges include 15 counts of conspiracy to distribute...
View ArticlePa. sees huge uptick in heroin-related deaths
In Pennsylvania — which ranks among the top 10 states in per capita heroin and opioid deaths— more than 3,000 residents have died from heroin and multi-drug overdoses since 2009, according to this...
View ArticleU.S. AG calls for cops to carry Narcan
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is urging federal law enforcement agencies to identify, train and equip personnel who may interact with a victim of a heroin overdose with the drug naloxone. The...
View ArticleDel. orders Zohydro prescribing restrictions
Delaware has put into place emergency prescribing regulations regarding Zohydro, a powerful new painkiller many critics fear may fuel the epidemic of painkiller abuse. Late last year, Zohydro gained...
View ArticleGeneration Rx
As you may know, for the past five years I’ve been working on a book about prescription drug and heroin addiction. It’s called Generation Rx: A Story of Dope, Death, and America’s Opiate Crisis, and it...
View ArticlePa. tightens opioid prescribing guidelines
Pennsylvania — which ranks 14th in the nation in prescription overdose deaths — has unveiled new emergency room opioid prescribing guidelines in an attempt to stem the tide of prescription drug abuse....
View ArticleDEA clamps down on hydrocodone
Hydrocodone, the nation’s most widely prescribed painkiller, will now be in the same category as other frequently abused medications such as OxyContin and fentanyl. The agency said Friday it had...
View ArticleCVS to stock R.I. Walgreens stores with Narcan
The opiate overdose antidote Narcan will soon be available in all CVS pharmacies in Rhode Island without a prescription. The move comes as the state is seeing a surge in recent deaths due to opiate...
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