The herb kratom has a large following and is so popular that it is sold in vending machines. The FDA recently issued a public warning about the herb, which contains low levels of opioids.
President Donald Trump displays a presidential memorandum he signed, declaring the opioid crisis a public health emergency in the East Room of the White House, Oct. 26, 2017, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Opioids kill an average of eight people every day in Canada. The federal government must officially declare this a ‘public welfare emergency’ and invest the funds critical to a humane response.
Michelle Holley holds a photograph of her daughter Jaime Holley, 19, who died of a heroin overdose in November 2016.
Lynne Sladky/AP Photo
If opioids prevent significant suffering, then the solution to the prescription opioid problem cannot simply be to stop using them.
People without ID, like Steven Kemp, are sometimes turned away from the country’s already threadbare system of drug treatment centers.
Matt Rourke/AP Photo
President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency. But we need to do a lot more to prevent this crisis from escalating even further.
Paul Wright, in treatment for opioid addiction in June 2017 at the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic in Youngstown Ohio, shows a photo of himself from 2015, when he almost died from an overdose.
AP Photo/David Dermer
Robin Feldman, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
The number of people dying from opioid overdose continues to rise, in part because of cheap street drugs. Yet the price of a drug used to treat addiction is out of reach for many.
Ohio is fighting to hold drug companies accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic.
Bryan Woolston/Reuters
The state of Ohio filed a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers. Will their legal arguments hold up in court – and what will it mean for other cities and states going after big pharma?
Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently echoed the 1980s philosophy to ‘just say no’ to drugs. It’s important to remember, however, that the policy was ineffective.
Seized counterfeit hydrocodone tablets.
Drug Enforcement Administration/Handout via Reuters
Media reports have suggested that many young athletes who become injured abuse prescription painkillers and may move to heroin. One of the first studies to look at this suggests otherwise.
Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts and unidentified woman at a rally in November aiming to destigmatize addiction.
Joanne DeCaro/flickr
The nation is still in the grip of an opioid addiction epidemic, but there is some good news. Treatment options are expanding, as professionals learn more about the illness.
A pump for pain control, with highly addictive drug fentanyl via Wikimedia.
DiverDave
New evidence suggests that opioids cause the immune system to run amok and, surprisingly, increase pain. Does this mean that opioids might be contributing to the chronic pain epidemic?
President Obama hugs Carey Dixon, who has a loved one affected by addiction. Via REUTERS.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The Senate passed a bill July 13 to address the opioid epidemic. Georgia recently passed a bill that would limit rather than expand the number of treatment centers. Could others follow suit?
President Obama spoke in Atlanta at a summit on how to curb the opioid epidemic.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
As congressional leaders today discuss legislation to curb the opioid epidemic, we look at three articles that explain how it happened and one that suggests some solutions.
Prince reportedly died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl.
EPA/Dirk Waem
Prince’s death was recorded as accidental. Accidents are common when it comes fentanyl, a powerful pain killer 100 times stronger than morphine.
Suboxone is often prescribed as a treatment for those addicted to opioids, but only doctors with a certain waiver may prescribe it.
Brian Sydner/Reuters