May 08 As fentanyl death toll spikes, states step up their interventions By Christine Vestal, Stateline With the advent of fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic drugs, many states are amplifying those policies and adding new programs to protect drug users from deadly contaminants in heroin, cocaine and other illicit drugs. Continue reading
Apr 22 Cherokee Nation files lawsuit targeting CVS and other pharmacies in opioid crisis By Megan Thielking, STAT “These drug wholesalers and retailers have profited greatly by allowing the Cherokee Nation to become flooded with prescription opioids,” the lawsuit alleges. Continue reading
Apr 05 This obscure Medicaid waiver opens up more beds for opioid treatment By Christine Vestal, Stateline An estimated 22 million Americans have a drug or alcohol addiction that needs treatment, yet only one in 10 receive it. Continue reading
Feb 21 Facing pressure, insurance plans loosen rules for covering addiction treatment By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News The change comes as addiction to opioids, which include heavy-duty painkillers and heroin, still sweeps the country. Continue reading
Jan 29 Mysterious cluster of amnesia cases, possibly tied to opioids, alarms health officials By Andrew Joseph, STAT The patients experienced various memory problems affecting both long- and short-term memory. Continue reading
Dec 18 Watch 3:31 Heroin deaths exceeded gun homicides in 2015 By PBS News Hour Last year, more than 30,000 people died from opioid overdoses, which cause almost two-thirds of all overdoses in the U.S., according to data released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those data also show that last… Continue watching
Oct 30 Column: It’s time for primary care providers to embrace treating addiction By Julian A. Mitton, STAT Primary care doctors and nurses are well-positioned to treat addiction and champion care for those struggling with the use of opioid pills or heroin. Continue reading
Oct 14 In some states, Medicaid rules make it more difficult to treat addiction By Christine Vestal, Stateline Finding and paying for addiction treatment remains a challenge for low-income Americans. Continue reading
Sep 29 If DEA blocks kratom, promising research on opioid alternative may suffer By Angus Chen, Scientific American Kratom, a compound from a Southeast Asian tree, offers hope for a safer opioid alternative, but research could slow to a crawl as the DEA steps in. Continue reading
Aug 06 Watch Concerns grow as fentanyl fuels rise in opioid overdose deaths By PBS News Hour According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths involving prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999. But amid growing concern over the country’s problem with heroin and prescription opioids, a lesser-known drug in that same group is just… Continue watching