Health May 11 CDC says more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, setting ‘staggering’ record By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press
Nation Apr 20 Doctor who prescribed enough painkillers to ‘kill an elephant’ found not guilty in 14 patient deaths A jury on Wednesday acquitted an Ohio doctor in the deaths of multiple hospital patients. By Associated Press
Health Feb 09 Watch 7:28 New report details the scale of the U.S. opioid crisis and its link to drug trafficking The opioid overdose crisis that killed more than 100,000 Americans in a year is being called one of the most pressing national security and public health challenges facing the U.S. A majority of the overdoses are driven by the potent… By William Brangham, Laura Santhanam
Health Feb 08 Bipartisan congressional commission recommends new approach to combatting overdose epidemic The U.S. needs a nimble, multipronged strategy and Cabinet-level leadership to counter its festering overdose epidemic, a bipartisan congressional commission advises. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press
Health Nov 17 U.S. surpassed 100,000 overdose deaths in first year of COVID-19 Experts believe the top drivers are the growing prevalence of deadly fentanyl in the illicit drug supply and the COVID-19 pandemic, which left many drug users socially isolated and unable to get treatment or other support. By Laura Santhanam
Sep 16 Watch 11:15 Ordinary people are taking the law into their own hands to counter cartel threat By Monica Villamizar In the mountain top village of Ayahualtempa in Guerrero state Mexico, children are learning how to use firearms and preparing for an attack by a nearby drug cartel. In our third and final story on the ravages of the cross-border… Continue watching
Sep 15 Watch 10:30 Fentanyl is making its way into various drugs sold in the U.S. Here’s how it gets there By Monica Villamizar For the second part of our series on the ravages of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, we take a look at the deadly cost of the drug just across the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona. With the support of the Pulitzer Center,… Continue watching
Sep 14 Watch 8:56 A secret look at a Mexican cartel’s low-tech, multimillion-dollar fentanyl operation By Monica Villamizar Tonight, we begin a three-part look at the production — and devastating effects — of the drug fentanyl. Illicit use of the synthetic opioid painkiller has ravaged the United States, with Mexican drug cartels now seeing huge profits. With the… Continue watching
Jan 30 For 1st time in 4 years, U.S. life expectancy rises, but only a little By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press The rise is mostly due to lower death rates for cancer and drug overdoses. Continue reading
May 16 It’s not just opioids. Deaths from cocaine and meth are surging. By Christine Vestal, Stateline The same lethal drug that has been driving the nation’s spiraling opioid epidemic is also causing an historic surge in overdose deaths among cocaine users. Continue reading