Articles tagged “fentanyl”

Colorado recorded 1,554 unintentional overdose deaths in 2025, up from 1,409 in 2024, even as the U.S. death rate hit an all-time low, state data shows.

Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center issues urgent public safety bulletins about orphine analogs and veterinary sedatives medetomidine and xylazine appearing in the state's illicit drug supply.

Detroit's Wayne County reports 42% decline in overdose deaths for 2024, but health officials warn that carfentanil—100 times stronger than fentanyl—threatens to reverse progress.

Arizona's drug overdose mortality now doubles the national average amid a 17% year-over-year increase, even as U.S. deaths fall for the third consecutive year

Cuyahoga County, Ohio reports dramatic 70% decline in fentanyl overdose deaths from 2023 to 2025, with cocaine now becoming the leading drug in fatalities.

New Mexico reports 900 overdose deaths in 2025, a 21% increase while national fatalities drop 14%. Fentanyl drives crisis in Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, and Taos counties with 65%+ spikes.

Veterinary sedative medetomidine, 100-200 times more potent than xylazine, is appearing in Minnesota's illicit fentanyl supply, creating naloxone-resistant overdoses and severe withdrawal symptoms.

Scienture Holdings begins shipping REZENOPY, a 10mg naloxone nasal spray—the highest FDA-approved dose—bringing a new overdose reversal option as fentanyl deaths decline nationwide.

Study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence finds standard methadone and buprenorphine doses often inadequate for heavy fentanyl dependence, raising treatment retention concerns.

South Carolina reports 1,481 drug overdose deaths in 2024, a 31.3% decrease from 2023, with fentanyl remaining the primary contributor to fatalities.

JAMA study finds most 8th-graders and one-third of high schoolers underestimate fentanyl's lethal risk, highlighting dangerous knowledge gaps as drug overdoses rank third in youth deaths.

Georgia Senate Bill 6 legalizes possession of fentanyl testing strips starting July 1, 2026, removing a key barrier to overdose prevention in a state hit hard by the opioid crisis.

Hawaii's pioneering syringe exchange program sees dramatic decline in needle swaps as fentanyl users increasingly prefer smoking over injection, prompting statewide harm reduction policy shift through Act 106.

UNODC World Drug Report 2026 reveals 1 in 16 people worldwide now use drugs, with synthetic opioids like fentanyl, nitazenes, and orphines replacing heroin and creating unprecedented public health risks.

Attorney General Raúl Torrez launches criminal probe into claims that DEA agents allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach Albuquerque streets as state leads nation in overdose death increases.

Los Angeles County reports 6% decline in drug overdose deaths for 2025, marking three years of progress as fentanyl fatalities drop 10% and harm reduction programs show results.

New research reveals the staggering tolerance levels of people who use illicit fentanyl, explaining why medication-assisted treatment protocols designed for heroin era often fail.

Trump administration policy change eliminates SAMHSA funding for fentanyl test strips, forcing Ohio health departments to rely on dwindling state and local resources as overdose deaths decline nationally.

Real-world data shows patients with fentanyl use disorder treated with monthly injectable buprenorphine stayed in treatment longer than those on daily sublingual formulations

Bipartisan legislation would establish dedicated federal funding stream for multi-jurisdictional drug task forces, with 40% of resources directed to tribal and local law enforcement

US authorities issue urgent warning to international visitors ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup about fentanyl contamination in street drugs, as DEA reports 29% of seized pills contain lethal doses.

Trump administration ends federal support for fentanyl, xylazine, and medetomidine test strips through SAMHSA grants, reversing Biden-era harm reduction policies amid declining overdose deaths.

While overdose deaths fell 18% nationally, Colorado saw a 10% increase in fentanyl-related fatalities, with Denver reporting a 25% spike. DEA data reveals the state's unique challenges.

Health officials confirm first fatal overdose involving N-Propionitrile chlorphine, a potent synthetic opioid undetectable by standard fentanyl test strips.

Federal health officials warn about medetomidine, a veterinary tranquilizer increasingly mixed with illicit fentanyl, causing complex withdrawal syndromes and complicating overdose responses

NPR analysis reveals sustained decline in overdose mortality since August 2023 peak, marking longest decrease in four decades despite emergence of more potent street drugs