Some 30,000 fewer people are dying every year in the U.S. from fentanyl and other street drugs. This shift has stunned addiction experts, reversing decades of rising death.
More than a million Americans use Medicaid to get addiction treatments like methadone. But as states update their systems, some patients have lost coverage. Even a short gap can be life-threatening.
Overdose deaths have risen sharply across Canada in the past five years, with deaths linked to fentanyl doubling. Officials hope decriminalization will make more users willing to seek medical care.
Opioids can kill because they reduce breathing along with pain. Now brain scientists have made a discovery that could lead to potent pain drugs that don't affect breathing.
