Only 1 in 4 Adults Needing Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Received Medications

Only 1 in 4 Adults Needing Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Received Medications

Black and Latino adults less likely to receive any treatment by Shannon Firth, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today June 27, 2024 Only about a quarter of adults who needed treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) received recommended medications, survey data showed. In 2022, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that 3.7% of…

White House Challenge

White House Challenge

Saving Lives From Overdose America’s overdose crisis impacts all of us. Families in small towns, large cities, Tribal lands, and every community in between are affected, no matter who they are, what they look like, or how much money they make. That’s why President Biden named beating the opioid and overdose crisis a key pillar…

Over-the-counter sales of Narcan to begin this week
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Over-the-counter sales of Narcan to begin this week

By Lindsey Theis The purple pinwheel in Michelle Leopold’s front yard symbolizes overdose awareness. She’s a “tough mother” fighting against fentanyl. Her first-born son Trevor died when he was only 18 years old in his dorm room, after taking what he believed to be an oxycodone pill that was, unbeknownst to him, laced with fentanyl. Leopold…

Deaths from xylazine are on the rise. The White House has a new plan to tackle it
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Deaths from xylazine are on the rise. The White House has a new plan to tackle it

Deepa Shivaram | NPR The White House is marshaling a new plan to try to beef up testing, tracking and treatment for street drugs laced with xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that has contributed to a surge of overdose deaths across the country. The administration listed xylazine combined with fentanyl as an emerging threat back in…

Harsh New Fentanyl Laws Ignite Debate Over How to Combat Overdose Crisis
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Harsh New Fentanyl Laws Ignite Debate Over How to Combat Overdose Crisis

By Jan Hoffman | The New York Times Three teenage girls were found slumped in a car in the parking lot of a rural Tennessee high school last month, hours before graduation ceremonies. Two were dead from fentanyl overdoses. The third, a 17-year-old, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Two days later, she…

Narcan at music festivals? The life-saving drug naloxone is coming to a concert near you

Narcan at music festivals? The life-saving drug naloxone is coming to a concert near you

David Oliver | USA Today It’s festival season, meaning fabulous flower crowns, loud live music and Narcan. Yes, the overdose-reversing drug Narcan (naloxone) will be available at music festivals near you this year – and with good reason, experts say. Drugs and alcohol are staple at music festivals and many often overdo it. Combine that with the overwhelming presence of fentanyl in the drug…

Biden-⁠Harris Administration Designates Fentanyl Combined with Xylazine as an Emerging Threat to the United States

Biden-⁠Harris Administration Designates Fentanyl Combined with Xylazine as an Emerging Threat to the United States

ATLANTA, GA – Today, Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), has officially designated fentanyl adulterated or associated with xylazine as an emerging threat to the United States. Xylazine is a non-opioid tranquilizer approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for veterinary use but not human use….

North Minneapolis’ Fire Station 14 launches drop-in center for people struggling with substance abuse

North Minneapolis’ Fire Station 14 launches drop-in center for people struggling with substance abuse

By SUSAN DU , STAR TRIBUNE “Struggling with drugs? We can help.” A large sign now hangs beside the front door of Fire Station 14 in north Minneapolis offering support for overcoming substance abuse. At any hour of the day anyone who knocks will be welcomed by a firefighter with connections to a network of peer recovery…

The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales
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The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales

By Joe Hernandez / NPR The overdose-reversing drug Narcan could soon be available to buy over the counter without a prescription, the Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday. The FDA’s approval of the nasal spray Narcan — the brand name for the drug naloxone — means the medication could be more widely available across the U.S….