Overdoses

The U.S. saw a significant rise in adolescent drug overdose deaths in 2022, primarily due to fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, despite a decline in overall teen drug use. Research suggests focused educational efforts, policy intervention in high-risk areas, and increased access to naloxone in schools as critical measures to combat this escalating crisis.In 2022, the United States witnessed the deaths of approximately 22 teenagers aged between 14 and 18 every week due to drug overdoses, with the mortality rate for this…

By the time Sheriff Robert Luna ousted his predecessor and became L.A. County’s top cop in late 2022, the nation’s largest sheriff’s department was awash in controversy.The half-century-old problem of deputy gangs had brought the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department under increasing national scrutiny. Jail conditions were becoming increasingly dire, and the decades-old lawsuits about them seemed no closer to resolution. On top of that, the department was short on staff, mired in scandal and often at odds with county…

A lifesaving drug that can reverse an opioid overdose will be available on pharmacy shelves without a prescription this summer, a regulatory relaxation that experts herald as an important step in managing the U.S. opioid epidemic. Currently, naloxone is officially classified as prescription-only but is also available from pharmacists in states with a standing order—a directive designed to increase access to public health interventions such as annual flu shots—or a similar protocol. At participating pharmacies, an…

In the early 1950s Marie Nyswander was ready to move on from addiction. She set up a private practice and specialized in treating women afflicted with what she would call one of the “gravest problems of our time”: sexual frigidity. She and her adoring husband were living the good life, hanging out with rich art collectors and members of New York City’s literary scene. But when Nyswander started getting phone calls for help, she got pulled in a very different direction. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST EPISODE TRANSCRIPT The…

CBD (yellow stick structure) interferes with binding of an opioid (green and red) by stabilizing an opioid receptor (gray) in its inactive form. Credit: Charles KuntzAs the U.S. pushes for wider access to naloxone, a fast-acting opioid antidote, researchers are exploring <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>cannabidiol</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Cannabidiol, commonly called CBD, is a phytocannabinoid discovered in…

Matthew Morales boarded the Metro Red Line at MacArthur Park as classical music blared over the station loudspeakers. It was rush hour on a Tuesday afternoon, and Morales made his way to a back corner seat and unfolded a tiny piece of foil with several blue shards of fentanyl. As the train started west, he heated the aluminum with a lighter and sucked in the smoke through a pipe fashioned from a ballpoint pen. Doors opened and closed. A few passengers filed in and out. A grain of the opioid fell to the floor. He…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)An over-the-counter nasal spray meant to prevent fatal opioid overdoses could reach shelves early next year. The Food and Drug Administration has reportedly fast-tracked the approval process of an OTC naloxone spray from Emergent BioSolutions, the developers of Narcan. The FDA is expected to make a decision on its approval by late March 2023.Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, meaning it prevents other opioids from activating the opioid receptors in our cells. It can quickly reverse the…