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…
NBC 4 | December 27, 2022 A new law that takes effect Jan. 1, 2023 aims to reduce opioid-related overdoses and deaths at public colleges and universities in California. The Campus Opioid Safety Act Senate Bill 367 requires the California Department of Public Health to provide updated life-saving education and federally approved opioid overdose reversal medication –…
By Josh Campbell | CNN Wed December 28, 2022 It was every parent’s worst nightmare. Two days after Christmas 2020, Chris Didier went into his son Zach’s bedroom in their home near Sacramento. The accomplished student, school theater actor and athlete was unresponsive at his desk – his head lying on his arm. “I could feel…
BY ALEX N. GECANAGECAN@MARINIJ.COM Marin County has opened its emergency shelter for homeless residents as a series of storms descends on the Bay Area. Emergency agencies have begun passing out sandbags and warning residents in low-lying areas that more flooding could be on the way. A flood watch will be in effect from Friday evening…
Names are read at annual San Rafael remembrance By Richard Halstead rhalstead@marinij.com Marin’s homeless community paused this week to remember those who died while living on the streets. A memorial hosted by the San Rafael-based Street Chaplaincy held Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael featured a reading of the names of 21 people…
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…
By Mackenzie Mays Los Angeles Times SACRAMENTO >> Following spates of fentanyl overdoses among students, California public schools could be required to provide Narcan on campuses — a nasal spray that can reverse deadly effects of opioids. The proposal is part of legislation introduced by both Democratic and Republican state lawmakers this week that aims…
By Keri Brenner kbrenner@marinij.com More than 250 Marin County activists, health officials, addiction counselors and people in recovery have joined forces to reduce the number of drug overdose deaths next year, particularly deaths involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. “Our first step is stop the bleed, to flatten the curve,” Dr. Matt Willis, the county’s public…
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…
KCRA Staff California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Tuesday a multi-state proposed settlement with Walmart to resolve allegations that the company helped fuel the opioid crisis by failing to oversee its pharmacies. California is expected to get about $265 million of the $3.1 billion settlement. The majority of the money will be used to…