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The Latest Breaking News from Opioids

Speedballing – the deadly mix of stimulants and opioids – requires a new approach to prevention and treatment

Speedballing – the practice of combining a stimulant like cocaine or methamphetamine with an opioid such as heroin or fentanyl – has evolved from a niche subculture to a widespread public health crisis. The practice stems from the early 1900s when World War I soldiers were often treated with a…

The Conversation

The Real Opioid Crisis Isn't Prescriptions—It's Prohibition

West Virginia's overdose data prove it: Officials misunderstood the problem, and patients paid the price.

Reason

Cocaine and synthetic drugs power new era of global trafficking

The world drug market has never been so globalised, active and diverse, according to the United Nations – which marks International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Thursday. RFI takes a look at the latest trends, from the explosion of cocaine to shifting routes and new synthetic drugs.

Radio France Internationale

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Purdue Pharma's $7B opioid settlement plan could get votes from victims and cities

A judge could decide Friday whether to advance OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's $7 billion-plus plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids

The Independent UK

Review: A Doctor Changes His Mind About Opioid Prescriptions

In Greed to Do Good, a former CDC physician calls the agency's war on opioids a disaster.

Reason

A judge could advance Purdue Pharma's $7B opioid settlement after all 50 states back it

A judge is being asked to clear the way for local governments and individual victims to vote on OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids

The Independent UK

Purdue Pharma to pay $7.4 billion in opioid lawsuit settlement

Besides the hefty financial reward, the settlement also ends the Sackler family’s ownership of Purdue Pharma and their ability to sell opioids in the U.S.

The Independent UK

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Denmark launches campaign to help parents talk to their teens in bid to curb opioid abuse

Danish authorities launched the campaign after a survey found that nearly half of Copenhagen parents do not know enough about opioids to talk to their children about the drugs.

Euronews

Millions of US children have parents with substance use disorder, and the consequences are staggering − new research

About 1 in 4 U.S. children – nearly 19 million – have at least one parent with substance use disorder. This includes parents who misuse alcohol, marijuana, prescription opioids or illegal drugs. Our estimate reflects an increase of over 2 million children since 2020 and an increase of 10 million…

The Conversation

For opioid addiction, treatment underdosing can lead to fentanyl overdosing – a physician explains

Imagine a patient named Rosa tells you she wakes up night after night in a drenching sweat after having very realistic dreams of smoking fentanyl.

The Conversation

Too many people with back pain call ambulances or visit the ED. Here’s why that’s a problem

Around 4 million Australians experience back problems and people are increasingly calling ambulances and presenting to emergency departments to manage back pain.

The Conversation

An experimental painkiller could be the key to solving the opioid epidemic

The drug could offer powerful pain relief without the dangerous side effects of opioids

The Independent UK

Cassie Ventura reveals how Diddy overdosed at a Playboy Mansion party, as she gives new insight into their relationship

Ventura testified that at points in her relationship with Combs, both were addicted to opioids

The Independent UK

Calls for more support for nurses dealing with ‘human cost’ of opioid abuse

Nitazenes have caused a spike in drug-related deaths in recent years.

The Independent UK

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The Independent UK

West Virginia court declines to answer whether opioids distribution can cause public nuisance

West Virginia’s Supreme Court has declined to answer a question in a landmark lawsuit over whether the distribution of opioids can cause a public nuisance

The Conversation

Medetomidine: what you need to know about the animal sedative turning up in opioid deaths

The opioid crisis, increasingly driven by synthetic opioids, continues to claim tens of thousands of lives annually in the US alone. Similar crises have arisen all over the western world.

Reason

A New Survey Suggests Illicit Opioid Use Is Much More Common Than the Government's Numbers Indicate

The survey estimates that 7.5 percent of America adults use illegally produced fentanyl each year, 25 times the rate indicated by a government-sponsored survey.

Radio France Internationale

Opioid crisis explodes in Ghana as young people fall victim to ‘Red’

An alarming surge in opioid abuse among Ghana’s youth is raising red flags for health authorities, as addiction to these powerful painkillers spirals into a growing public health crisis.

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AAP

Deadly class of sedative drugs detected across nation

Drug researchers are working to detect new forms of very powerful synthetic opioids being used to lace street drugs that kill unwitting users.

The Independent UK

Walgreens to pay up to $350 million in U.S. opioid settlement

Walgreens has agreed to pay up to $350 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, who accused the pharmacy of illegally filling millions of prescriptions in the last decade for opioids and other controlled substances

The Conversation

Animal tranquilizers found in illegal opioids may suppress the lifesaving medication naloxone − and cause more overdose deaths

The animal tranquilizers xylazine and medetomidine are in approximately one-third of the illegal opioids available in the U.S., including fentanyl, heroin and oxycodone. Animal tranquilizers enhance the user’s euphoric high from opioids, particularly in those who have developed a tolerance to the opioid. But adding the tranquilizers to these already…

Salon

Pregnant, in jail and denied treatment

Little data is collected on pregnant women who are incarcerated. Even less is available for those with addiction

The Guardian - UK

Painkillers without the addiction? The new wave of non-opioid pain relief

Pharma firms are developing drugs that avoid the brain’s opioid receptors to minimise the risks of dependence and overdoses, but not all experts are convinced

LiveScience

Estrogen may spur the body to make opioids after injury

The female sex hormone estrogen, along with progesterone, appears to underlie a fundamental difference in how males and females process pain, a mouse study finds.

The Conversation

Medetomidine is replacing xylazine in Philly street fentanyl − creating new hurdles for health care providers and drug users

Philadelphia’s street opioid supply – or “dope” market – is constantly changing. As health care workers and researchers who care for people who use drugs in our community, we have witnessed these shifts firsthand.

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