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News Articles: opioid crisis

Amanda Seyfried plays a police officer investigating the disappearance of her sister in <em>Long Bright River.</em>

Tagged as: 

  • TV Reviews

A police officer investigates her own sister's disappearance in 'Long Bright River'

Set in a Philadelphia neighborhood that's been ravaged by opioids, Amanda Seyfried stars in this heartfelt Peacock series that centers wounded communities and families.

March 18, 2025
|
By:
  • John Powers
McKinsey and Company has agreed to pay $650 million to settle federal civil and criminal probes into alleged wrongdoing linked to "turbocharging" opioid sales on behalf of Purdue Pharma.

Tagged as: 

  • News

McKinsey & Company to pay $650 million for role in opioid crisis

The powerful consulting firm McKinsey will "accept responsibility" and pay $650 million for helping to fuel the opioid crisis, but executives will once again dodge prosecution.

December 13, 2024
|
By:
  • Brian Mann
People affiliated with opioid recovery service providers listen in April to the question and answer portion of the Macon informational session around how Georgia's Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust will disburse millions of dollars of settlement funds.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Which Georgia programs will receive money from national opioid lawsuit settlements?

Awards from the state have been announced for the first two years of programs aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic.

December 13, 2024
|
By:
  • Sofi Gratas
narcan spray

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Opioid settlement from Kroger is set to bring millions to Georgia. But like others, it'll take time

Some Georgia counties are being invited to get their share of Kroger’s $1.2 billion, multi-district settlement over the franchises participation in the opioid addiction crisis.

July 23, 2024
|
By:
  • Sofi Gratas
Protestors in support of Palestine rally in midtown Atlanta on June 27, 2024.

Tagged as: 

  • Politics

'Social justice matters': Hundreds of protesters gather in Midtown ahead of presidential debate

On Thursday, June 27, hundreds of protesters gathered at night in Midtown Atlanta ahead of the presidential debate between Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican candidate former President Donald Trump.

June 28, 2024
|
By:
  • Amanda Andrews
A syringe service program recipient in Augusta dumps her used needles into a sharps container on April 1, 2024. It's an example of harm reduction, part of the continuum of care for addiction that could be funded by Georgia's share of opioid settlement funds.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Georgia is prepped to spend millions on tackling the opioid crisis. What do drug users want?

Harm reduction, aimed at keeping people safe and alive, is one piece on the spectrum of addiction care that the state is ready to fund through settlements with major drug manufacturers.

May 16, 2024
|
By:
  • Sofi Gratas
Esther Nesbitt lost two of her children to drug overdoses, and her grandchildren are among more than 320,000 who lost parents in the overdose epidemic.

Tagged as: 

  • Children's Health

In a decade of drug overdoses, more than 320,000 American children lost a parent

New research documents how many children lost a parent to an opioid or other overdose in the period from 2011 to 2021. Bereaved children face elevated risks to their physical and emotional health.

May 08, 2024
|
By:
  • Rhitu Chatterjee
A person prepares heroin, placing a fentanyl test strip into the mixing container to check for contamination.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Georgia moves forward on a new way to tackle fentanyl overdoses — punishing dealers

As the fentanyl crisis grows, Georgia lawmakers have set their eyes on holding someone accountable, pushing forward a bill that will make it easier to charge drug dealers with murder if their supply causes an overdose.

March 22, 2024
|
By:
  • Sofi Gratas
Officer Yoo gives a citation to a man he stopped for using fentanyl in public. Yoo said handing out citations doesn't appear to move people from using drugs on the streets into treatment programs.

Tagged as: 

  • Politics

Oregon pioneered a radical drug policy. Now it's reconsidering.

Under Ballot Measure 110, instead of arresting drug users, police give them a citation and point them towards treatment. Over three years in, there's a debate about whether it's succeeded or failed.

February 07, 2024
|
By:
  • Conrad Wilson
 An overdose reversal kit was installed next to emergency medical equipment and a fire extinguisher near the main public entrance at the state Capitol. It’s one of five on site.

Tagged as: 

  • News

Statewide addiction recovery group wants overdose reversal kits in every government building

Georgia officials have been taking steps over the last decade to ease access to the life-saving drug in response to the rise in opioid overdoses here and nationally. The state has, for example, made the drug available over the counter and empowered first responders to carry it.

January 22, 2024
|
By:
  • Jill Nolin
Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, has introduced legislation with Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, to put guardrails around the use of billions of opioid settlement funds.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Proposed federal law would put limits on use of $50 billion in opioid settlements

Lawmakers want to ensure the funds are actually used to fight the addiction crisis, not "as a piggy bank for other projects."

January 22, 2024
|
By:
  • Aneri Pattani
Marissa Cody leads a Narcan training session at Houston County's Lindsey Student Support Center.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

2,600 Georgians died from drug overdoses last year. Naloxone trainings may help reduce that number

The federal government made naloxone nasal spray available over the counter this year, and that availability is helping naloxone become a life-saving measure in shelters, jails and schools.

December 27, 2023
|
By:
  • Sofi Gratas
Advocates and victims of the opioid crisis gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 4, 2023, while the justices hear a case about Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy deal. The protesters urged justices to overturn the deal, which would give the Sackler family immunity against future civil cases related to opioids.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

In 2023, opioid settlement funds flowed to states. Here's how it's going

Some $1.5 billion flowed to local government coffers this year, sparking debates about transparency and how to spend the money. Here are 5 takeaways from a year's worth of reporting on the issue.

December 21, 2023
|
By:
  • Aneri Pattani
Last year, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses. Advocates and family members marked the tragic toll with cardboard grave markers on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

States are getting $50 billion in opioid cash. And it's an issue in governor's races

Some candidates for governor are sparring over bragging rights for their state's share of opioid settlement funds. Some are attorneys general who pursued the lawsuits that produced the payouts.

November 01, 2023
|
By:
  • Aneri Pattani
States and counties nationwide are using opioid settlement funds for law enforcement efforts, including buying new squad cars. This draws criticism that the funds should be invested in treatment instead.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Law enforcement eyes opioid settlement cash for squad cars and body scanners

Some state and local governments have started tapping in to opioid settlement funds for law enforcement expenses. Many argue it should go toward treating addiction instead.

October 20, 2023
|
By:
  • Aneri Pattani
  • Load More

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