Mass. Gov. bans Zohydro amid opioid epidemic
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has declared a public health emergency in response to the state’s growing opioid addiction epidemic, issuing an order banning the controversial new form of...
View ArticlePill and heroin deaths surge across the nation
Despite increased media coverage and efforts to crack down on abuse, overdose deaths due to prescription drugs and heroin continue to happen at alarming rates in many states. In Massachusetts, Gov....
View ArticleJudge nixes Zohydro ban in Mass.
A federal judge has struck down Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick’s ban on the controversial new form of hydrocodone, Zohydro, saying the state lacked the authority to override the FDA’s approval of the...
View ArticleHeroin deaths triple in W. Va.
The number of West Virginians who have died from heroin-related overdoses has tripled over the past five years, jumping from 22 in 2007 to 67 in 2012, according to this article. Meanwhile, fatalities...
View ArticleGa. sees uptick in heroin abuse
Georgia is the latest state to see an spike in heroin abuse following the rise of prescription painkiller addiction, with heroin submissions to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab...
View ArticleHeroin use up 80% since 2007
Heroin use skyrocketed by more than 80% nationwide from 2007 to 2012, with the number of heroin users rising from about 373,000 to 669,000 in 2012, according to this article, which cites data from the...
View ArticlePa. sees huge uptick in heroin-related deaths
In Pennsylvania — which ranks among the top 10 states in per capita heroin and opioid deaths— more than 3,000 residents have died from heroin and multi-drug overdoses since 2009, according to this...
View ArticleU.S. AG calls for cops to carry Narcan
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is urging federal law enforcement agencies to identify, train and equip personnel who may interact with a victim of a heroin overdose with the drug naloxone. The...
View ArticleGeneration Rx
As you may know, for the past five years I’ve been working on a book about prescription drug and heroin addiction. It’s called Generation Rx: A Story of Dope, Death, and America’s Opiate Crisis, and it...
View ArticleCVS to stock R.I. Walgreens stores with Narcan
The opiate overdose antidote Narcan will soon be available in all CVS pharmacies in Rhode Island without a prescription. The move comes as the state is seeing a surge in recent deaths due to opiate...
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