The prevalence and potency of illicit fentanyl has changed the course of the opioid crisis for the worse. While prescription painkillers were previously attributed to the most deaths in the opioid epidemic, they no longer do. Instead, the leading cause of death in this context is now illegal fentanyl, according to a recent Bloomberg editorial. The… Continue reading How Fentanyl Changed The Opioid Crisis
Tag: synthetic opioids
Couple Accused Of Running Mobile Home Drug Drive-Through
A string of overdose cases led authorities back to a mobile home with a makeshift drug-dealing drive through. Authorities busted a drug-dealing couple in Florida who were found running a drive-through service for illicit drugs out of the kitchen window of their mobile home. The drive-through experience was complete with signs directing traffic flow and… Continue reading Couple Accused Of Running Mobile Home Drug Drive-Through
Stop Illegally Selling Opioids Online, FDA Warns
Over the summer, the FDA has issued similar warnings to 70 websites. The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning this week to the operators of 21 websites that the administration says sell mislabeled and illegal opioids to Americans. The websites, which are run by four companies, have been “illegally marketing potentially dangerous, unapproved, and… Continue reading Stop Illegally Selling Opioids Online, FDA Warns
Fentanyl Present In 90% Of Drugs, Massachusetts Officials Warn
The synthetic opioid is found more in combination with cocaine and benzodiazepines than heroin. Officials in Massachusetts are warning the public that the presence of the deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl, is increasingly common in all types of illicit drugs in the state—not just in heroin or other opioids—raising the overdose risk for users of cocaine… Continue reading Fentanyl Present In 90% Of Drugs, Massachusetts Officials Warn
Tunnel Beneath KFC Connects Drug Smugglers in Arizona, Mexico
The county sheriff’s department called the discovery a “heavy blow to that transnational criminal organization that built this tunnel.” A routine stop for an equipment violation led law enforcement in Arizona to an operation that numerous media outlets compared to the AMC series Breaking Bad, with a near-600-foot tunnel that connected a former fast food… Continue reading Tunnel Beneath KFC Connects Drug Smugglers in Arizona, Mexico
Woman Reportedly Caught With 1.5 Million Lethal Doses Of Fentanyl
A woman traveling from Los Angeles to New York City was reportedly caught with five pounds of fentanyl in a suitcase. Authorities in Kansas City arrested a woman at a bus station who was traveling across the country, from Los Angeles to New York, carrying five pounds of fentanyl—reportedly enough of the drug to cause… Continue reading Woman Reportedly Caught With 1.5 Million Lethal Doses Of Fentanyl
Trump To Jeff Sessions: Sue Drug Companies For Opioid Crisis Role
The Attorney General said he would take action on Trump’s requests. President Donald Trump has instructed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to file a federal lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies in Mexico and China, claiming that they have played a role in the US opioid epidemic. Last week, according to the New York Post, the president threw… Continue reading Trump To Jeff Sessions: Sue Drug Companies For Opioid Crisis Role
Fentanyl Found In Startling Number Of Heroin Samples In Canada
“Something like 60% of the drugs that we check are not what people think they are,” said the author of a new drug-testing study. Drugs in Vancouver, Canada may be even more dangerous than normal, according to a new pilot project. The project from the B.C. Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) found that more than… Continue reading Fentanyl Found In Startling Number Of Heroin Samples In Canada
2017 Worst Year Yet for Drug Deaths
Last year has usurped the dubious title from 2016 with the most lives claimed by drug overdoses ever. According to a preliminary report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 72,000 people in the United States died from a drug overdose in 2017. The number translates to nearly 200 people lost per… Continue reading 2017 Worst Year Yet for Drug Deaths
Fentanyl, Other Synthetic Drugs Drive National Overdose Rates Up
Nearly 30,000 Americans died from overdoses stemming from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in 2017. Driven in large part by widespread opioid use, the number of drug overdoses nationwide shot up nearly 10% last year, according to preliminary federal figures. The U.S. clocked more than 72,000 drug fatalities in 2017, the Centers for Disease Control… Continue reading Fentanyl, Other Synthetic Drugs Drive National Overdose Rates Up