• 50-year war on drugs imprisoned millions of Black Americans

    50-year war on drugs imprisoned millions of Black Americans

    Jul 26, 2021 04:55 PM EST

    ... legalization poses more risks to Americans than it would any benefits. Provisional data released in December from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show overdose deaths from illicit drug use continued to rise amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. And according to the latest Drug Enforcement Administration narcotics threat ...

  • How the opioids settlement will impact communities affected by addiction

    How the opioids settlement will impact communities affected by addiction

    Jul 21, 2021 10:35 PM EST

    After more than two years of negotiations, a number of states agreed to a $26 billion settlement with three large drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson for their roles in the opioids epidemic. Half a million deaths over two decades are attributed to opioids and fatal overdoses. William Brangham discusses the ...

  • U.S. life expectancy in 2020 saw biggest drop since WWII

    U.S. life expectancy in 2020 saw biggest drop since WWII

    Jul 21, 2021 02:50 PM EST

    ... said Mark Hayward, a University of Texas sociology professor who studies changes in U.S. mortality. Killers other than COVID-19 played a role. Drug overdoses pushed life expectancy down, particularly for whites. And rising homicides were a small but significant reason for the decline for Black Americans, said Elizabeth ...

  • U.S. opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companies

    U.S. opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companies

    Jul 20, 2021 06:49 PM EST

    ... have maintained that they were filling orders of legal drugs placed by doctors — so they shouldn't shoulder blame for the nation's addiction and overdose crisis. An Associated Press analysis of federal distribution data found that enough prescription opioids were shipped in 2012 for every person in the U ...

  • News Wrap: Tokyo sees highest COVID cases since May, days before Olympic Games

    News Wrap: Tokyo sees highest COVID cases since May, days before Olympic Games

    Jul 14, 2021 10:50 PM EST

    ... a German TV -- quote -- "The consequences are going to be unbelievably bad." There is word that the opioid fentanyl helped to drive U.S. drug overdose deaths to a record high last year. Federal figures show 93,000 deaths, up nearly 30 percent from a year earlier. Difficulties in getting ...

  • U.S. life expectancy sees 'massive' decline, especially in Black and brown communities

    U.S. life expectancy sees 'massive' decline, especially in Black and brown communities

    Jun 24, 2021 10:30 PM EST

    ... an undercurrent in our country? Dr. Steven Woolf: Well, it's important to know it did not go away. And, in fact, it looks like overdose deaths have increased during the pandemic. Having said that, though, although opioid deaths and drug overdoses are the leading cause of rising mortality rates ...

  • Europe's human rights body seeks probe into Czech Roma death

    Europe's human rights body seeks probe into Czech Roma death

    Jun 23, 2021 08:19 PM EST

    ... officer responding to a call over an altercation knelt on his neck. Police say the man's death last week was due to a drug overdose, and the country's prime minister backed their handling of the incident. But Roma activists reject the police explanation and are planning a protest ...

  • 'I am proud.' Demi Lovato comes out as nonbinary

    'I am proud.' Demi Lovato comes out as nonbinary

    May 19, 2021 04:53 PM EST

    ... message of pride,” Ramos said in a statement. The singer behind such hits as “Sorry Not Sorry,” “Heart Attack” and “Stone Cold” recently shared their personal struggles with mental health and addiction in a YouTube documentary, which followed their journey prior to and following a near-fatal overdose in 2018.

  • It’s time to recognize the damage of childbirth, doctors and mothers say

    It’s time to recognize the damage of childbirth, doctors and mothers say

    May 07, 2021 09:50 PM EST

    More than half of these women -- 52 percent -- died after delivery. The total numbers are likely higher than reported, as deaths from suicide and drug overdoses among people who recently gave birth may not be listed as postpartum deaths. Black women are more than twice as likely to die as ...

  • U.S. lifts barriers to prescribing opioid addiction treatment

    U.S. lifts barriers to prescribing opioid addiction treatment

    Apr 27, 2021 09:02 PM EST

    ... many parts of the country, patients couldn't find a prescriber. Ironically, doctors could prescribe buprenorphine for pain without the extra training. U.S. drug overdose deaths have climbed during the coronavirus pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 90,000 drug overdose deaths in the 12 months ...