Across the country, cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome increased a startling 82% from 2010 to 2017 - while Arizona cases increased 41% from 2017 to 2021 - and a Phoenix nursery is working to end the cycles that lead to multigenerational patterns of addiction. Read more» 
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In dealing with the opioid crisis, the Biden administration is quietly embracing “harm reduction” — a controversial approach that could save thousands of lives but create a political firestorm because it appears to be giving up and accepting illegal drug use as normal. Read more»
Nogales-area U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 130,000 fentanyl tablets hidden in a crock-pot on Tuesday, officials said. 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»
After decades of steady increases, life expectancy in the U.S. ticked down slightly over three recent years, a drop attributed to a rise in “cause-specific” deaths like suicides and drug overdoses among those aged 25 to 64. Read more»
OxyContin’s makers delayed the reckoning for their role in the opioid crisis by funding think tanks, placing friendly experts on leading outlets, and deterring or challenging negative coverage. Read more»
Colorado is on the front lines in dealing with how marijuana use affects surgery. Lessons learned on operating tables and in recovery rooms have prompted calls for more research on marijuana nationwide. Read more»
Deaths from drug overdoses, alcohol and suicide have grown more slowly in Arizona than in the nation as whole since 2005, but death rates in the state still exceed the nation in every category, according to a recent national survey. Read more»
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday to stop the Sackler family from “looting” Purdue Pharma of billions of dollars being sought by victims of the opioid crisis the company is accused of helping create. Read more»
It turns out that the same lethal drug that has been driving the nation’s spiraling opioid epidemic, fentanyl, is also causing an historic surge in overdose deaths among cocaine users. Read more»
As governors in the hardest-hit states call for intensified law enforcement efforts and stiffer penalties for fentanyl dealers, public health officials say this latest drug scourge underscores the urgent need to get more people into treatment, particularly those who use heroin.
Read more»
Arizona on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Chandler-based opioid firm alleging that they participated in fraudulent practices that led to overprescription of a powerful opioid drug. Read more»
A digital-timer on a pill bottle may help those who are fighting prescription drug addiction, the chief executive of the company that created the tool says. Read more»
Nogales-area CBP officers arrested a woman on Monday for attempting to smuggle nearly five pounds of Fentanyl across the border hidden beneath the seat of a baby stroller, authorities said. Read more»
The overdose death rate among Native Americans is three times the rate in the general population. As the opioid epidemic surges, many tribes are investing in treatment and specialized housing on the reservation.
Read more»
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday signed an executive order that will prohibit millions of Arizonans from filling initial prescriptions for more than seven days’ worth of opioids. Read more»
