• House approves bill to avert government shutdown, aid Ukraine

    House approves bill to avert government shutdown, aid Ukraine

    Sep 30, 2022 07:04 PM EDT

    ... their priorities. “We know we have a crisis on the southern border. You can turn on the television every night. You can look at the fentanyl pouring into the country, You can see the tragedy of human trafficking. Is there anything in this bill that asks us to do anything ...

  • WATCH: McCarthy unveils House GOP's 'Commitment to America' in Pennsylvania

    WATCH: McCarthy unveils House GOP's 'Commitment to America' in Pennsylvania

    Sep 23, 2022 07:08 PM EDT

    ... the Capitol. The Republican event was more of a conversation, with the GOP leader and other lawmakers fielding questions from the community — on inflation, the fentanyl crisis and school choices — rather than a stirring address in a contested state. McCarthy said they chose Washington County not Washington, D.C. “Because ...

  • FDA chief says long-awaited opioid epidemic review still in the works

    FDA chief says long-awaited opioid epidemic review still in the works

    Aug 30, 2022 08:23 PM EDT

    ... also vowed to conduct a “sweeping review” of opioids. Last year, U.S. overdose deaths soared to a record of 107,000, driven overwhelmingly by fentanyl and other illegal opioids. Opioid prescriptions have fallen about 40 percent in the last decade but deaths tied to the medications remain at 13 ...

  • Actor Michael K. Williams' posthumous memoir details how his life informed his career

    Actor Michael K. Williams' posthumous memoir details how his life informed his career

    Aug 24, 2022 10:25 PM EDT

    ... was sort of the tragic dilemma of his life. Jeffrey Brown: On September 6, 2021, Michael K. Williams was found dead of an overdose of fentanyl-laced heroin. He was 54. Four men were charged for distributing the drugs that led to his overdose.Dominic Dupont: In a few weeks ...

  • St. Louis combats opioid crisis as overdose deaths skyrocket among Black Americans

    St. Louis combats opioid crisis as overdose deaths skyrocket among Black Americans

    Aug 16, 2022 10:35 PM EDT

    John Yang: And what are people getting here? What's being handed out? Dr. Kanika Cunningham: Food. They're given Narcan that is there, fentanyl testing strips as well. If people need access to sign up for Medicaid, so we get them -- at least start the initial process. We will ...

  • Judge says Walgreens contributed to San Francisco's opioid crisis

    Judge says Walgreens contributed to San Francisco's opioid crisis

    Aug 10, 2022 08:55 PM EDT

    The opioid epidemic has been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past two decades, counting those from prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and generic oxycodone as well as illicit drugs such as heroin and illegally produced fentanyl. The surge in deaths has led ...

  • Why overdose deaths spiked among people of color during the pandemic

    Why overdose deaths spiked among people of color during the pandemic

    Jul 19, 2022 10:45 PM EDT

    ... fentanyl. So, we saw 20 percent fentanyl in 2015. And it gradually increased over the next five years to now we're seeing 95 percent fentanyl in our street drugs. And fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. John Yang: And I just want to make sure ...

  • WATCH: House Oversight hearing on federal response to drug addiction and overdose crisis

    WATCH: House Oversight hearing on federal response to drug addiction and overdose crisis

    Jun 27, 2022 05:27 PM EDT

    ... first,” said Gupta.CDC data released in May indicates that deaths from drug overdoses in the U.S. reached a record-high in 2021. More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, the highest annual death toll ever recorded. Deaths from fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine rose sharply.

  • WATCH: House Homeland Security committee hearing on DHS efforts against opioid epidemic

    WATCH: House Homeland Security committee hearing on DHS efforts against opioid epidemic

    May 18, 2022 06:11 PM EDT

    ... increase began in the 1990s with overdoses involving opioid painkillers, followed by waves of deaths led by other opioids like heroin and — most recently — illicit fentanyl. Last year, overdoses involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids surpassed 71,000, up 23 percent from the year before. There also was a 23 ...

  • Overdose deaths in the U.S. reached record levels in 2021

    Overdose deaths in the U.S. reached record levels in 2021

    May 11, 2022 10:25 PM EDT

    ... effective medication for reversing overdoses, Narcan or naloxone, which works if you're overdosing with opioids. But if you're overdosing with methamphetamine contaminated with fentanyl, naloxone does not -- is not as effective, will not be effective if you're -- if what you have is a combination of toxicity. So ...