OPIOIDS

STATISTICS & TRENDS

On What Dark Day Did the U.S. Reach 100,000 Annual Overdose Deaths?

While America has been preoccupied with other situations, our drug overdose losses have kept mounting. Using statistics published by the CDC we can calculate the date on which America passed a horrific milestone: 100,000 overdoses losses in one twelve-month...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How the Sackler Family Got Away with Denying Any Responsibility in the Opioid Epidemic

The litigation of Purdue Pharma/the Sacklers is now over. One of the key aspects of the case that deserves full scrutiny is that Purdue’s owners threatened to withdraw settlement funds if they did not achieve personal immunity. In the end, they won.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

CDC Guidelines Suggest More Conservative Opioid Prescribing, but Is it Enough?

In the wake of the ongoing opioid addiction and overdose epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published conservative prescribing guidelines for U.S. doctors to follow. And while there have been some welcome reductions in prescribing...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Sackler Case Comes to a Close; Final Analysis and the Importance of Holding Pharma Companies Accountable

Consider this: Purdue Pharmaceuticals/the Sacklers versus thousands of plaintiffs nationwide. It was one of the most closely watched pharmaceutical litigations of our time, and it just came to a close. While there were some small victories in the case,...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Every State Now Has a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

Public health experts usually agree that preventive efforts should be used as a front-line defense against health problems. In the case of drug and alcohol addiction, Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs are useful preventive tools that states can use...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opioid Abuse Surged During the Pandemic – Treatment is the Answer for Those Now Addicted

There is compelling evidence that suggests opioid addiction and overdose rates soared during the Covid-19 pandemic. Was this a direct result of Covid-19? Or was it a continuation of America’s opioid addiction epidemic?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Are Medical Practitioners Still Overprescribing Opioids?

The foremost commitment of any medical practitioner is to do no harm, and the vast majority of physicians hold to that. But what happens when the very drugs doctors prescribe are harmful?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

A Surge in Cocaine and Meth Deaths are Linked to Opioid Misuse

In a recent brief by the CDC, experts published findings that more than 50% of cocaine-related deaths also had opioids present. The same was true with meth deaths. This is very concerning because it indicates a drug use trend where addicts may be more...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Drug Overdose Fatalities Reach 80,000 in One Year

The destructive nature of drug addiction has never been more apparent than it is right now. Recently, the CDC recorded the highest death toll from drug overdoses for any 12-month period. What will it take to curb the rise of drug deaths in America?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

What Does the UN’s World Drug Report Tell Us About Addiction?

Every year, the United Nations issues a report on the state of drug use around the globe. What does this year’s report tell us? It’s predictably grim news.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opioid Prescriber to Serve a Seven-Year Jail Sentence for Role in Opioid Epidemic

The majority of doctors practice medicine with ethics, morality, and the intention to help. But when doctors do become immoral, people get hurt. This is the story of one such doctor.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

U.S. States Request $2.2 TRILLION Compensation from Purdue to Address Opioid Harm

Forty-seven U.S. States have filed lawsuits against Purdue Pharma, requesting a total of $2.2 trillion dollars as compensation for Purdue’s contributions to the opioid epidemic. Is this a fair number?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Why are Multiple States Suing Drug Companies for $26.4 Billion?

A dozen states are suing a drug manufacturer and three drug distributors for more than $26 billion. Why? So they can restore the lives and mop up the wreckage left by the opioid epidemic.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Canada’s Addiction Crisis Mirrors Closest Neighbor

For a review of the opiate addiction crisis, most people instantly think of and look to the United States. But in many ways, Canada, the neighbor to the north, has had an almost identical opioid crisis. What can be learned from it? And what might be done...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Has Germany Avoided the Opioid Epidemic?

By many accounts, Germany has managed to escape the brunt of the opioid addiction crisis that is causing untold problems across much of the western world. Did they merely buy time? Or is this something other countries can learn from?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Winnipeg Experiences a Surge in Opioid Overdoses During COVID-19 – What Can We Learn from That Crisis?

What happens when a city experiences a massive surge in drug overdose deaths? What resources do residents have to help addicts before they overdose? One Canadian city is forced to find out.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

A Growing Drug Problem in Maryland Raises Concern

Drug overdoses are one of the leading health problems in the United States. And while drug addiction is present in every U.S. state, the crisis touches down with more force in some states than in others. Maryland is one such state.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Methamphetamine Is Now Assaulting the Same Regions Crippled by Opioids

For the last decade, we’ve been focused on fighting an epidemic of opioid use and overdose deaths. While we were occupied dealing with that problem, methamphetamine has made a comeback. This should be a lesson to never get too fixed on one specific drug...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How a Surge in Opiate Misuse in the Netherlands Compares to the American Opiate Epidemic

For some time, the U.S. drug problem has seemed entirely unique. But now, similar problems are beginning to develop in Europe. How will European countries tackle their drug problems?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opiates? Hospitals Now Changing Their Approach

One of my colleagues is a veteran nurse who works in a hospital in Baton Rouge. He was born and raised in a sparsely populated, underserved area of Louisiana which is now being devastated by the opioid epidemic...