Opioids

$50 Billion in Opioid Settlement Cash Is on the Way. We’re Tracking How It’s Spent.

Spending the money effectively and equitably is a tall order for state and local governments, and a lack of transparency in the process is already leading to fears of misuse.

  • By Aneri Pattani, Kaiser Health News

As Opioid Deaths Keep Rising, Report Urges Lawmakers to Develop New Approaches

Drug overdose rates in the U.S. have risen fivefold in the past two decades. A new report argues state lawmakers should view America’s staggering opioid crisis through an "ecosystems" approach.

  • By Ashley Murray, Maryland Matters

Schools, Sheriffs, and Syringes: State Plans Vary for Spending $26B in Opioid Settlement Funds

The cash represents an unprecedented opportunity to derail the opioid epidemic, but with countless groups advocating for their share of the pie, the impact could depend heavily on geography and politics.

  • By Aneri Pattani, Kaiser Health News

How a Vending Machine Prevents Drug Overdoses

About 600 lives have been saved by a machine in Ohio that stocks overdose treatments and other harm reduction tools, according to a health nonprofit.

  • By Molly Bolan

How States are Stifling Treatment for People Struggling With Opioids

COMMENTARY | Nearly 90% of people with opioid use disorder aren’t getting medical treatment. Nurse practitioners can help provide that care, but are limited from doing so in 24 states.

  • By Laurel Hallock-Koppelman

Federal Agencies Detail Their Priorities in Battling the Fentanyl Epidemic

Fentanyl seizures at the border have increased tenfold over the last three years.

  • By Eric Katz

Deciding How to Spend Billions in Opioid Settlement Payments

As states and localities begin receiving the money, advocates are pushing for it to go toward public health programs, and to avoid some practices that emerged around the 1990s tobacco settlement.

  • By Liz Farmer

Interactive Overdose Map Visualizes Evolving Public Health Crisis

Fentanyl remains driving force behind waves of death in Wisconsin communities.

  • By Isiah Holmes, Wisconsin Examiner

Walgreens to Pay $683M in Florida Opioids Lawsuit

The settlement between the pharmacy chain and the state came as a jury trial in the case was underway.

  • By Dara Kam, New Service Florida

The Big Obstacles Mayors Face Addressing America's Homelessness Crisis

Nearly three-quarters of mayors surveyed say they are held accountable by residents for local homelessness but only 20% say they have control of the crisis, a new report shows.

  • By Andre Claudio

3 US Cities Win Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge

Cities in New Jersey, Arizona and Minnesota were selected for their unique programs to help residents get jobs and to accelerate opioid treatment.

  • By Andre Claudio

How the Pandemic Helped Spread Fentanyl Across the US and Drive Opioid Overdose Deaths to a Grim New High

The number of fatal drug overdoses in the US over a 12-month period has surpassed 100,000 for the first time. Fentanyl is the main driver of the spike in deaths.

  • By Andrew Kolodny, The Conversation
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How Cities Are Addressing Mental Distress

Successful programs include partnerships between social workers and first responders, incorporate data and recognize larger social factors affecting health and well-being, like racism, experts say.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Strategies for Combating the Opioid Crisis

In many cities and states, fatal drug overdoses—primarily from opioids—outnumber homicides, deaths from auto accidents, suicides and other types of fatalities. Law enforcement’s role is changing to address the challenges, according to research.

  • By Andre Claudio

Using Rapid Drug Analysis to Reduce Opioid Overdose Deaths

A partnership between the Maryland State Police and Maryland Department of Health will allow for faster and broader testing of illicit drugs found in the state.

  • By Andrea Noble

The Opioid Crisis Isn’t the Same in Every Place

COMMENTARY | New research highlights communities most at risk for opioid overdose deaths and most in need of services.

  • By Lisa Lapoint-Tufts, Futurity

Counties and States Embrace Fentanyl Test Strips in Battle Against Opioids

Arlington County, Virginia announced that it would begin distributing the strips to addiction-prone people leaving the county jail, the latest in a growing number of government agencies to turn to the tests as a way to prevent overdoses.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Rhode Island Becomes First State to OK Drug Injection Sites

Advocates say sites where people can use drugs under supervision can save lives. But cities that have tried to establish such centers have faced opposition from their states and the federal government.

  • By Andrea Noble

Purdue Pharma Moves Closer to Opioid Settlement as 15 States Drop Objections

Attorneys general who had been critical of a proposed bankruptcy plan for the OxyContin manufacturer said they would agree to a deal that requires significant public disclosure from the company.

  • By Andrea Noble

A Troubling Rise in Drug Overdose Deaths Among Latinos

New research finds drug-related fatalities have been climbing for Latinos nationwide and in California and suggests policymakers should focus more on the issue.

  • By Brent Woodie

‘An Insult’: Attorneys General Slam Purdue Restructuring Plan

Under the proposal filed this week, the OxyContin manufacturer would pay $4.25 billion to states, municipalities and others.

  • By Andrea Noble