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…
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….
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…
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….
By Sheraz Sadiq (OPB) In Oregon, people released from prison were 10 times more likely to overdose on opioids compared to the general population, according to a new study that tracked prison release and overdose data from 2014 to 2018. The risk of overdose doubled during the first two weeks of release, and formerly incarcerated women were…
By Adithi Ramakrishnan | The Dallas Morning News To combat the fentanyl epidemic in the United States, researchers at the University of Houston have created a fentanyl vaccine that could help prevent overdoses. They aim to test the vaccine in a human trial within the next year. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that kills…
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) applauds provisions included in the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-328) that will significantly expand access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The act, signed into law by President Biden on Dec. 29, 2022, amended the Controlled Substances Act to eliminate the requirement for qualified…
The animal tranquilizer xylazine, which has been linked to severe wounds and amputations, has been detected in nearly 40 states. VICE | Manisha Krishnan November 15, 2022 After two years of sobriety, Allie Gramlich began using drugs again in April. This time around, Philadelphia’s street opioid supply was infiltrated with tranq or tranq dope, a…
Brain Mann | NPR Dec. 13, 2022 Drug maker Emergent BioSolutions is seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell Narcan over the counter, without need for a prescription. The medication, an easy-to-use nasal spray version of the drug naloxone, has a strong track record reversing deadly opioid overdoses, which have soared in…
Study Suggests New Vaccine Could Prevent Deadly Opioid from Entering the Brain By Laurie Fickman 713-743-8454 November 14, 2022 A research team led by the University of Houston has developed a vaccine targeting the dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl that could block its ability to enter the brain, thus eliminating the drug’s “high.” The breakthrough discovery could have…