Street fentanyl has long been viewed as unstoppable. Now many experts say the supply of the deadly synthetic opioid is suddenly drying up in many parts of the U.S. and fatal overdoses are dropping.
overdose deaths
Posted inNPR
2 doctors are charged in connection to ‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry’s ketamine death
Five people, including two California doctors, have been charged in connection with the 2023 death of the Friends actor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Posted inHealth, Local
Overdose deaths in R.I. fell for the first time in five years
Fatal drug overdoses in Rhode Island declined for the first time in five years, with similar dips in other New England states, according to data released Wednesday by the state Department of Health. Rhode Island overdose deaths last year fell about 7 percent. In Massachusetts, overdose deaths last year dropped 10 percent; Connecticut reported an […]
Posted inHealth, Local
Providence’s crackdown on homeless encampments complicates efforts to prevent overdoses
Outreach worker Amy Santiago had not seen her homeless client, Tracy, in more than a week. Not since a woman in the encampment where Tracy was living died of a drug overdose. “When you have emergency medical personnel and the police come into your encampment,’’ Santiago said, “it’s a frightening experience.” Santiago and her co-workers […]
Posted inNPR
U.S. drug deaths declined slightly in 2023 but remained at crisis levels
Powerful synthetic opioids and drugs like meth and cocaine still flood U.S. communities, fueling historically high overdose deaths.
Posted inNPR
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.
Posted inHealth, Local
More people who use cocaine in Rhode Island are dying of overdoses
In an empty stairwell in Pawtucket, R.I., Jackson offered to show a reporter how he tries to reduce his risk of overdosing when he smokes crack cocaine. (Jackson agreed to speak to The Public’s Radio for this story on the condition that we use only his first name.) It had been several hours since his […]
Posted inHealth
R.I. plans for state’s first supervised consumption site for illegal drugs proceeding cautiously
Across the country, overdose prevention centers continue to face pushback, most recently in New York City. Plans to open Rhode Island’s first supervised consumption site for illegal drugs in 2024 are proceeding cautiously. Health reporter Lynn Arditi talked with The Public’s Radio Morning Edition host, Luis Hernandez, about what’s at stake in Rhode Island.
Posted inArticle, Health
RI communities get millions in opioid settlement funds. But who knows how they’re spending it?
More than $10.5 million has flowed into Rhode Island cities and towns so far from legal settlements with opioid manufacturers, distributors and sellers with no explicit requirements that the municipalities publicly report how the money is spent. The direct payments to cities and towns are part of nationwide settlement agreements with companies like Johnson & […]
Posted inArticle, Health
Rhode Island’s first safe consumption site for illegal drugs slated for early 2024
Rhode Island became the first state to legalize supervised drug consumption sites in 2020, but finding an affordable location delayed its launch.