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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
Know what’s in your drugs Tranq or xylzine is a non-opioid drug that can slow down the nervous system. It can make breathing and heart rate slower. When tranq is mixed with another drug like heroin, fentanyl or a benzo, it can increase the risk of overdose. In case of overdose, know what to do…