The Fentanyl Crisis – how it affected Greenbrae parents Michelle and Jeff Leopold
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The Fentanyl Crisis – how it affected Greenbrae parents Michelle and Jeff Leopold

by Dan Pine / excerpted from JWeekly The parents of Greenbrae teen Trevor Leopold said their son resisted help when it came to drug use. Michelle and Jeff Leopold watched helplessly as Trevor became a habitual cannabis user two years after his bar mitzvah at Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael. The drug caused violent…

The Medical Board of California publishes new guidelines on prescribing opioids for pain

The Medical Board of California publishes new guidelines on prescribing opioids for pain

California Medical Association The Medical Board of California recently published a long-awaited update to its opioid prescribing guidelines, which will make it easier for patients to get the care they need while maintaining appropriate safeguards. Importantly, the medical board has clarified that the guidelines are not intended to replace a physician’s clinical judgment and individualized, patient-centered…

Marin Voice: New campaign tackles county’s fentanyl crisis
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Marin Voice: New campaign tackles county’s fentanyl crisis

By Matt Willis and Vikki Garrod Every five to six days we lose a Marin resident to an accidental overdose. This is more than twice the rate of five years ago. The primary driver? Fentanyl. The public health crisis of overdose in Marin demands urgent action and community-wide strategies. We learned from our COVID-19 response…

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…

Dog’s life saved with Narcan in Marin County
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Dog’s life saved with Narcan in Marin County

KRON 4 | Rob Nesbitt In a first for the Marin Humane Society, an animal services officer in Marin County saved a dog’s life using Narcan. The dog’s owner called 911 when the animal collapsed in a mall parking lot after discovering that their prescription medication bottle had been chewed through minutes before. At the…

Now recruiting AmeriCorps VISTAs to support overdose prevention in California
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Now recruiting AmeriCorps VISTAs to support overdose prevention in California

Do you want to be being part of the movement to eliminate overdose deaths in California? The Center for Health Leadership and Practice (CHLP) at the Public Health Institute is actively recruiting AmeriCorps VISTA members to serve with the California Overdose Prevention Network (COPN), a network of coalitions, organizations, and individuals working at the forefront…

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…

Marin Health Officials Track Illicit Drug Use by Testing Wastewater

Marin Health Officials Track Illicit Drug Use by Testing Wastewater

By: Lesley McClurg Public health officials in Marin County are now tracking illicit drugs in local wastewater — everything from nicotine to methamphetamine and fentanyl. Testing sewer water can illustrate exactly what is “hot” and where, offering a more accurate picture of the drug crisis than simply counting overdoses. “We know now that our clinical…

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…

Tam district stops all classes for anti-fentanyl webinar

Tam district stops all classes for anti-fentanyl webinar

By KERI BRENNER | kbrenner@marinij.com | Marin Independent Journal For the first time, the Tamalpais Union High School District interrupted classes this week for all 5,000 of its students at five high schools to deliver an important message. The message, relayed in a 45-minute districtwide webinar screened mid-morning on Thursday, was simple, but ominous: “Any pill, even if you…