A 600-page report published Thursday encourages federal, state and local lawmakers to think “beyond traditional silos” and innovate ways to stem adverse effects of addiction and increasing drug overdose deaths among Americans. Read more»

Although drug dealers operate on many social media platforms, experts are most worried about Snapchat due to the app’s anonymity, and an Arizona effort is underway to help inform parents of the dangers of fentanyl and cartels’ use of social media to reach vulnerable youth. Read more»

School districts around the country - including Arizona, one of only six states that requires schools to have a naloxone policy - are trying to quickly respond to the growing toll from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin. Read more»

The COVID-19 pandemic and a growing unsafe drug supply combined to push overdose deaths up by 27.6% in the U.S. over a 12-month period from 2020 to 2021, a surge in deaths that was matched in Arizona. Read more»

En medio de dos crisis que se cruzan en Estados Unidos, una epidemia de opioides y el maltrato de las llamadas de emergencia de salud mental, el gobierno federal ha otorgado $ 5.6 millones para capacitar mejor a los trabajadores médicos de emergencia rurales. Read more»

Amid two intersecting crises in America – an opioid epidemic and mistreatment of emergency mental health calls – the federal government has awarded $5.6 million to better train rural emergency medical workers to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness. Read more»

As overdose deaths nationwide reach all-time highs, increasing access to naloxone is a key part of the Biden administration's overdose prevention strategy - but advocates say the administration has not addressed their greatest barrier to obtaining the lifesaving medication. Read more»

Jaclyn Brown has transformed grief from losing her brother to an overdose into action; since August 2020, Brown has served as volunteer coordinator at Shot in the Dark, a nonprofit that provides clean syringes, overdose medication, and other resources to people struggling with addiction. Read more»

Arizona lawmakers in May passed legislation with bipartisan support legalizing syringe access programs, and Gov. Doug Ducey signed the measure days later. The law takes effect Sept. 28, 90 days after the June 30 conclusion of the legislative session. Read more»

While use of the opioid overdose rescue drug naloxone has skyrocketed in recent years, few of chronic pain patients at high risk of overdose are receiving it. Read more»

Arizona law requires doctors to check a state database before they write a new prescription for a controlled substance, such as opioids. Yet less than 40 percent do. Read more»

Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday called a special legislative session to battle the opioid epidemic in Arizona, asking lawmakers to fund and expand health care. Read more»

The administration's proposal comes amid a rising heroin epidemic in the nation and in Arizona, where overdose deaths have risen steadily. The funding would go toward prevention strategies, medication-assisted treatment programs and efforts to reduce drug crimes. Read more»

The bill would allow more first responders such as peace officers and basic-level emergency medical technicians to carry and administer naloxone hydrochloride and other opiate antidotes. Read more»

When a person overdoses on an opiate-based painkiller, life or death can hinge on how quickly a first responder or doctor administers drugs known as opiate antagonists. A state lawmaker wants to allow more first responders to give them to overdose victims. Read more»