Public Health
A bill by U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins’ (R-LA), the ranking member of the Border Security Subcommittee, that would provide border patrol agents with stronger opioid detection equipment has passed in the Senate, his office said Wednesday.
H.R. 4761, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Opioid... Read More »
The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County, Ind., is wrapping up a month-long series of events to educate residents about the life-saving effects of Narcan, a medicine used for the treatment of an opioid overdose emergency.
Narcan, or the generic drug naloxone, is an opioid... Read More »
Opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma has pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracies to defraud the United States and violate the anti-kickback statute.
In a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney General’s office said the pharmaceutical company pleaded guilty... Read More »
Naloxone hydrochloride kits — or Narcan kits for short — are helping the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) stem an increase in opioid-related overdose deaths.
During the last five years, SFPD has partnered with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Harm Reduction... Read More »
A new line of X-ray scanners being offered by Viken Detection, ranging from handheld devices to vehicle-focused drive over scanners, offers law enforcement and others the possibility of greater flexibility and capability in contraband detection, including the possibility to see through... Read More »
Distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States could be imperiled by President Donald Trump’s decision to fight a transition to the incoming administration under Joe Biden, a new report from U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) warned this week.
Peters, ranking member of the Homeland Security... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved 10 healthcare bills, including several aimed at tackling the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The measures advanced today aim to address some of the many challenges Americans are facing... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is partnering with large chain pharmacies and networks of independent pharmacies and regional chains to maximize access to COVID-19 vaccines.
This effort will cover approximately 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 states, the... Read More »
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) recently reported that prescription opioid overdose deaths decreased statewide in 2019 when more than 94,000 doses of naloxone were dispensed or distributed, representing an increase of 95 percent from 2018.
NMDOH also said that there were more than... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded more than $96 million in grants to fund drug courts and veterans’ treatment courts, the department announced Wednesday.
The courts, funded through the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, work to get nonviolent juveniles, veterans, and adults with... Read More »
The Justice and Community Services section of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security recently awarded the state a $6 million grant through the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program.
Funding will be used for two strategies that provide addiction... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL) and David McKinley (R-WV) announced Monday the introduction of bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing the flow of opioids to pill mills.
The Preventing Pill Mills Through Data Sharing Act would require drug wholesalers that ship opioids to drug stores and... Read More »
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and its partners brought in nearly 1 million pounds of unused, expired, and unwanted medications during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Oct. 24.
The agency, along with law enforcement partners, said it has now collected nearly 13.7 million pounds of... Read More »
Members of the Indian Health Service, the Federal Health Program for American Indians, and Alaska Natives are working with members of their communities to reduce overdose deaths by improving access to Naloxone.
Commander Robert Boyle, a clinical pharmacist at the Salt River Integrated Health... Read More »
Data compiled by the Rhode Island Department of Health’s (RIDOH) Office of the State Medical Examiners show the state saw a sharp increase in the number of accidental drug overdose deaths in the first seven months of 2020.
Between January and July 2020, the state tallied 233 accidental drug... Read More »
A Michigan system that tracks suspected opioid deaths and naloxone use by first responders gives a better picture of how opioid overdoses rose after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The real-time tracking system developed by the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center (IPC), in... Read More »
On the second anniversary of the passage of the SUPPORT for Patients and Community Act, U.S. Representative David B. McKinley (R-WV) urged fellow legislators not to overlook the opioid crisis facing the country during the Covid-19 epidemic.
On Friday, McKinley said that Congress must continue... Read More »
The New Jersey Legislature’s Assembly Health Committee on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill that would require opioid-antidote prescriptions for certain high-risk patients.
Assembly bill 3869, sponsored on March 23 by Assemblymen John Armato (D-Atlantic) and Valerie Vainieri Huttle... Read More »
Researchers with The Pew Charitable Trusts have found that expanding access to naloxone, and changing public policy to ensure the opioid-overdose reversal drug gets into the hands of those who need it, can reduce opioid-related overdose deaths.
Additionally, researchers said, expanded access to... Read More »
The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) awarded more than $536 million in fiscal year 2020 for various policing, school safety, and anti-opioid efforts.
The money went to various programs to increase law enforcement hiring and improve school... Read More »
National Institutes of Health (NIH) personnel have joined other federal entities in outlining support for a $350 million multi-year HEALing Communities Study to address opioid use disorder (OUD) interventions.
The HEALing Communities Study is funded by the NIH Helping to End Addiction... Read More »
Department of Justice personnel said the agency has earmarked more than $341 million in grants to aid the nation in combating addiction.
“The addiction crisis has taken an enormous toll on America’s families and communities, eroding public health, threatening public safety and claiming tens... Read More »
The Justice Department said U.S. District Judge Dale A. Kimball sentenced a Utah man to life in prison for heading an organization that distributed more than 500,000 counterfeit pills nationwide.
Authorities said the sentence was handed down to Aaron Michael Shamo, 30, indicating he was the CEO... Read More »
