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News Articles: overdose

Esther Nesbitt lost two of her children to drug overdoses, and her grandchildren are among more than 320,000 who lost parents in the overdose epidemic.

In a decade of drug overdoses, more than 320,000 American children lost a parent

New research documents how many children lost a parent to an opioid or other overdose in the period from 2011 to 2021. Bereaved children face elevated risks to their physical and emotional health.

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By:
  • Rhitu Chatterjee
Drug-related street crime in Portugal has dropped along with overdoses. "There's an impression in the U.S. that if you decriminalize drugs, it's a wild west," said Miguel Moniz at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon. "That hasn't been the case in Portugal."

How Portugal eased its opioid epidemic, while U.S. drug deaths skyrocketed

Portugal cut drug deaths by 80%, using free health care and addiction treatment. The U.S., meanwhile, focused on drug busts and tough crime laws. Overdose deaths keep rising catastrophically.

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By:
  • Brian Mann
James Todd, Kim Jones, Sue Smith, Kevin Tanner on the stage at the Georgia Freight Depot Januray 24, 2024.

Narcan to 988: Recovery is possible with help from friends, certified peer specialists

Mental health advocates, peers, key leaders, and legislators from across Georgia gathered last week at Georgia's state Capitol asking to be involved with each legislative/gubernatorial commission, study group, or panel created to advise about mental health. They also want lawmakers to bolster the state's mental health workforce shortage by expanding the certified peer specialist (CPS) workforce and supporting a salary increase in parity with other service providers.

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By:
Matt Capelouto, whose daughter died from a fentanyl overdose, speaks at a news conference outside the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Capelouto is among dozens of protesters who called on the Assembly to hear fentanyl-related bills as tension mounts over how to address the fentanyl crisis. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)

In 2023 fentanyl overdoses ravaged the U.S. and fueled a new culture war fight

Fentanyl fueled unprecedented carnage with 112,000 fatal overdoses. The nation is increasingly divided over how to respond.

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By:
  • Brian Mann,
  • Aneri Pattani - Kaiser Health News ,
  • and 1 more
Critics say U.S. government training videos like this one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exaggerate fears of fentanyl exposure among police.

Cops say they're being poisoned by fentanyl. Experts say the risk is 'extremely low'

Police officers regularly report being poisoned or overdosing after encountering trace amounts of fentanyl on the job. Experts say it's not happening.

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By:
  • Brian Mann