56 articles found
Congressional bill H.R. 5629 threatens to roll back SAMHSA's permanent methadone take-home flexibilities as Pew Charitable Trusts submits testimony defending COVID-era reforms that reduced travel burdens without increasing diversion or deaths.
National coalition urges Congress to maintain SAMHSA, NIH, and addiction program funding in FY2027 appropriations amid proposed 12.5% HHS budget cuts.
World Health Organization updates treatment guidelines adding monthly buprenorphine injections to methadone oral medication recommendations addressing epidemic killing three-quarters million people yearly
Longleaf Lodge launches with 50 residential and 10 detox beds, addressing Alabama's crisis where 19% need substance use treatment but only 5% receive it. Integrated care model tackles co-occurring conditions as wait times stretch weeks to months.
Second round of 'transformative grants' prioritizes youth treatment expansion, school prevention programs, and mobile crisis response as state officials emphasize building complete care continuum
Deal flow in substance use disorder treatment hits six-year low as investors pull back amid quality concerns, Medicaid uncertainty, and volatile federal grants—leaving safety-net providers facing potential closures.
Despite receiving $800 million since 2023, more than 40% of Michigan counties have yet to distribute opioid crisis mitigation funds while overdose deaths continue claiming nearly 2,000 lives annually.
Governor Rhoden announces funding for 10 organizations as Attorney General Jackley pushes for direct allocation to Sioux Falls and Rapid City treatment centers.
State lawmakers advance plan to distribute nearly $60 million in opioid settlement money, sidestepping the independent council created just last year to oversee spending.
University of Pennsylvania researchers develop first brain-targeted gene therapy that mimics morphine's pain relief without triggering reward pathways, offering potential breakthrough for 50 million Americans living with chronic pain.
WVU leads 18-month statewide assessment to guide how three-quarters of West Virginia's opioid settlement funds will be spent, creating public dashboard to identify gaps and maximize impact.
Kentucky Senate Bill 77 nears final passage, creating framework to research ibogaine for opioid addiction and PTSD despite Schedule I status. Four states already funding trials.
Congressional oversight hearing exposes chaotic federal response to addiction crisis as $2 billion in treatment grants remain uncertain and agency staff cut by half
Indiana University's MACRO-B initiative reduced opioid overdose mortality among Black Indianapolis residents by 45% in two years, now expanding statewide.
Cychlorphine, a novel opioid resistant to standard naloxone doses, has been detected in over a dozen states. Oklahoma confirmed its first death as experts warn the drug may require multiple Narcan doses to reverse overdoses.
New Wisconsin Policy Forum report reveals dramatic expansion in MOUD access across state correctional facilities from 2021 to 2025, coinciding with substantial decline in overdose deaths.
CDCR documented over 7,000 overdose reversals since 2019 and became the only U.S. state prison system allowing incarcerated individuals to carry naloxone inside facilities.
National opioid overdose deaths fell to 46,066 in October 2025, down from 86,075 in June 2023. CDC data reveals declines across all racial groups as weaker fentanyl supply and expanded treatment efforts reshape the crisis.
Federal $750K investment establishes Pennsylvania Addiction Action Network to coordinate data-driven opioid settlement spending across all 67 counties
Opioid deaths fell 12% in Washington last year while innovative programs expanded access to life-saving treatment. But new Medicaid work requirements and federal funding cuts are already disrupting care.
Survey of 212 U.S. jails, prisons, and detention centers finds stark regional and facility-type disparities in MOUD access, with post-release mortality 40 times higher than national average.
Psychostimulants, primarily methamphetamine, overtook opioids as Iowa's leading overdose cause in 2024. Without a Narcan equivalent, public health officials confront new treatment challenges.
Veterinary sedative 300× more potent than xylazine spreads through illicit opioid supply, causing life-threatening withdrawal and evading standard drug tests.
Baltimore's finalized Overdose Response Strategic Plan ups its target to a 50% reduction by 2040, backed by nearly $600 million in opioid settlement funds and community-driven priorities.
Eastern Shoshone Tribal Health launches Wyoming's first harm reduction vending machines offering free naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and suicide prevention tools through anonymous PIN access to address overdose crisis on Wind River Reservation.
Bipartisan DETECT Nitazenes Act introduced in Congress would enhance detection technology for emerging class of synthetic opioids linked to over 1,000 deaths in UK.
West Virginia First Foundation introduces Regional Contingency Allocation Program allowing six regions to respond to immediate community needs outside traditional grant cycles, managing nearly $1 billion in settlement funds.
Columbia adds twelve public naloxone boxes as Missouri House proposes $8M cut to statewide distribution, threatening 800 agencies and 7,500 documented overdose saves since 2017.
New federal data reveals historic decline in opioid deaths across all demographics, driven by expanded naloxone access, weaker fentanyl supply, and medication treatment—though Arizona and four other states buck the trend.
Federal funding establishes Pennsylvania Addiction Action Network to coordinate data-driven allocation of settlement funds across all 67 counties as state confronts 4,719 annual overdose deaths.
ACLU challenges West Virginia's 2007 moratorium on methadone clinics, arguing the state's unique restriction violates disability law while forcing 54,000 residents with opioid use disorder to navigate impossible treatment logistics.
A new survey of 212 jails and prisons finds only 58% provide FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, with stark regional disparities and treatment gaps putting released inmates at 40-times-higher overdose risk.
SAMHSA's termination and rapid restoration of $2 billion in mental health grants in January exposed fragility of addiction infrastructure as overdose deaths decline for first time in decades.
AG Kris Kobach and DCCCA deploy free overdose reversal kits across Kansas universities and community colleges as state battles 2,000+ fentanyl deaths.
New transparency tool shows municipalities spent just 12% of available settlement funds in latest fiscal year, while state officials emphasize accountability in managing $1 billion expected through 2039.
Cychlorphine, an emerging synthetic opioid more potent than fentanyl, has been connected to at least 16 overdose deaths in East Tennessee since October. Federal authorities track 22 samples nationwide as harm reduction officials warn naloxone may require multiple doses.
CDC data shows overdose deaths fell to 68,000 in 12 months ending October 2025, the lowest since 2019, driven by a dramatic decline in fentanyl purity from 25% to 11% as all four waves of the epidemic enter simultaneous decline.
New CDC data reveals West Virginia and Virginia achieved the steepest opioid death declines in America, with drops approaching 49% and outpacing the national 44% reduction.
Indiana city's first round of settlement funding prioritizes community organizations meeting people at every stage of recovery, including grief counseling for families navigating substance use loss.
Sen. John Keenan proposes expanding subway naloxone access after 2024 pilot ended prematurely, leaving empty and broken cabinets across Boston's transit system.
New state transparency dashboard reveals municipalities spent just 12% of available settlement funds in FY2025 while communities await critical addiction services and harm reduction programs.
City Council approves five-year opioid settlement funding plan targeting overdose prevention through community-based Narcan distribution, HIV testing, and integrated harm reduction services.
Maine city finally distributes nearly all available settlement money to 16 organizations, three years after receiving first payments, as Penobscot County sees rising overdose deaths.
State lawmakers unanimously approve evidence-based mandates and conflict-of-interest safeguards for $400M+ opioid settlement fund after investigative reporting exposed governance failures.
Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego failed to pay subcontractors and staff for months while COO allegedly misappropriated over $200,000 in public funds for personal expenses.
MDHHS distributes free naloxone kits at local offices statewide, funded by $1.8 billion opioid settlement. State reports 35% decline in overdose deaths since 2023.
While Mississippi sits on over $400 million in opioid settlement funds, the state has spent almost none of it on treatment or family services — even as it leads the nation in children living with grandparents and foster care tied to parental substance use.
House Bill 487 allocates $43M from opioid settlements to prevention, treatment, and recovery programs, with unanimous bipartisan support as Alabama reports 30% reduction in overdose deaths.
Local governments in Maine allocated $3 million from opioid settlements in 2025 toward treatment, prevention, and law enforcement programs, with $19 million remaining and new reporting requirements now in place.
New federal legislation would require OSHA guidance on workplace naloxone access amid rising employer reports of opioid impact and uneven emergency preparedness.
The Maternal Overdose Matters Initiative delivered naloxone kits to over 2,500 families at 107 hospitals, helping reverse a crisis where overdose became the leading cause of maternal mortality statewide.
DEA and HHS codify pandemic-era flexibility, allowing providers to initiate and maintain buprenorphine treatment entirely via telehealth through the end of 2026, a move experts say could save lives and reshape addiction care nationwide.
California's CalRx program cuts naloxone costs by more than half while the state's distribution initiative crosses a staggering milestone in overdose reversals.
The Food and Drug Administration moves forward with controversial regulations to limit common painkillers, sparking national debate over balancing opioid crisis response with patient access to pain management.
As cocaine and methamphetamine become contaminated with fentanyl, researchers argue that contingency management and culturally adapted harm reduction are essential—yet remain vastly underutilized across the United States.
Washington University study finds that uMAT-R digital platform reduced substance use by 50% among participants with housing instability, challenging assumptions about technology access in vulnerable populations.