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Rising drug use among teens in Harris County: A growing crisis
Read full article: Rising drug use among teens in Harris County: A growing crisisIn recent years, Harris County has seen a dramatic increase in drug-related deaths, hospitalizations, and healthcare visits, with teenagers being particularly affected.
Lifesaving Narcan tough to find in Texas pharmacies
Read full article: Lifesaving Narcan tough to find in Texas pharmaciesOpioid overdoses are not slowing down in Texas. But locating Narcan, which can reverse the effects of an overdose quickly, has been tough for Texans since it was made available without a prescription last year.
Even Narcan can’t save victims: What you should know about growing threat of ‘zombie drug’
Read full article: Even Narcan can’t save victims: What you should know about growing threat of ‘zombie drug’The United States Drug Enforcement Administration released a public safety alert to warn Americans of a growing threat of a deadly drug called Xylazine, a combination of fentanyl mixed with xylazine.
‘We need to do something’: Cleveland ISD hands out free Naloxone during town hall meeting amid reported drug overdoses
Read full article: ‘We need to do something’: Cleveland ISD hands out free Naloxone during town hall meeting amid reported drug overdosesThe lifesaving drug Naloxone used to reverse opioid overdoses, was handed out at Santa Fe Middle School during a Cleveland ISD town hall meeting. The meeting addressed the realities of fentanyl use.
Texas cities and counties are destroying expired Narcan. Some say it could still be used to save lives.
Read full article: Texas cities and counties are destroying expired Narcan. Some say it could still be used to save lives.The state has given tens of thousands of doses of a drug that can reverse opioid deaths to local governments. It can still save lives after its expiration date, but some government agencies are destroying older doses.
Cleveland ISD to address rise in drug use in schools, community during town hall meetings
Read full article: Cleveland ISD to address rise in drug use in schools, community during town hall meetingsThe Cleveland Independent School District will host town hall meetings throughout the month of October regarding drug use in its schools and community, according to a release.
Communities across Appalachia band together for first-ever 13-state Narcan distribution event
Read full article: Communities across Appalachia band together for first-ever 13-state Narcan distribution eventAn effort to destigmatize the use of overdose reversal drugs that started as a pilot in two West Virginia counties has expanded to all thirteen states in Appalachia this year.
What is Narcan, and why is it in vending machines and at pharmacies?
Read full article: What is Narcan, and why is it in vending machines and at pharmacies?I was having a discussion with some coworkers, and the topic of Narcan got brought up as a potential solution to drug overdoses. My initial reaction was quite literally, “What in the world is Narcan?”
Rapper Quando Rondo crashes car while awaiting trial. Prosecutors want him back in jail
Read full article: Rapper Quando Rondo crashes car while awaiting trial. Prosecutors want him back in jailProsecutors in Georgia want rapper Quando Rondo back in jail after he crashed a car while awaiting trial on gang and drug charges.
Struggling with a drug crisis, San Francisco wants Narcan available at every pharmacy
Read full article: Struggling with a drug crisis, San Francisco wants Narcan available at every pharmacySan Francisco could become the first city in the country to require every pharmacy within its boundaries to always carry naloxone, a drug that reverses overdoses caused by fentanyl and other opioids.
Gov. Greg Abbott launches $10 million effort to combat fentanyl crisis, sends overdose-reversing meds to all 254 counties
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott launches $10 million effort to combat fentanyl crisis, sends overdose-reversing meds to all 254 countiesThe “One Pill Kills” campaign is funded with the help of a federal grant, and the statewide Narcan distribution is being paid for with funds from Texas’ settlement agreement with opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.
Houston-area mother who lost son to opioid overdose has hope for others as FDA approves over-the-counter use of NARCAN
Read full article: Houston-area mother who lost son to opioid overdose has hope for others as FDA approves over-the-counter use of NARCANMontgomery County Overdose Prevention Endeavor, known as M-COPE, teaches people how to use Narcan, a nasal spray made to reverse an opioid overdose.
FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan. Here's what it means
Read full article: FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan. Here's what it meansThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved selling overdose antidote naloxone over-the-counter, marking the first time an opioid treatment drug will be available without a prescription.
Bills call for Texas teachers to be trained to administer lifesaving overdose drugs to students
Read full article: Bills call for Texas teachers to be trained to administer lifesaving overdose drugs to studentsTexas is attempting to address the fentanyl crisis gripping schools by having staff learn how to administer lifesaving medication.
Texas GOP lawmakers warming to opioid harm-reduction policies they once opposed
Read full article: Texas GOP lawmakers warming to opioid harm-reduction policies they once opposedGov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans have expressed support for legalizing fentanyl test strips, which help users identify whether the drugs they are planning on taking contain the deadly synthetic opioid.
Gov. Greg Abbott says state should fund distribution of medication that can reverse opioid overdose
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott says state should fund distribution of medication that can reverse opioid overdoseWhile not detailing how the distribution might be funded, Abbott said the medication, Narcan, should be distributed to law enforcement agencies as well as some hospitals and schools.
‘I don’t want anyone to go through what I’ve gone through’: Montgomery County teen warns after fentanyl overdose
Read full article: ‘I don’t want anyone to go through what I’ve gone through’: Montgomery County teen warns after fentanyl overdoseA Montgomery County teenager who spent two nights in the hospital earlier this year after overdosing on a pill she didn’t know was laced with fentanyl is warning others about the dangers and spreading the message that it’s not worth it.
As fentanyl plagues Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott directs state police to focus on cartels
Read full article: As fentanyl plagues Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott directs state police to focus on cartelsAbbott directed the Department of Public Safety to boost efforts to collect intelligence on cartels and investigate gangs in Texas that support drug and human smuggling.
Overdose deaths far outpace COVID-19 deaths in San Francisco
Read full article: Overdose deaths far outpace COVID-19 deaths in San FranciscoFILE - In this April 26, 2018, file photo, a man lies on the sidewalk beside a recyclable trash bin in San Francisco. A record 621 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco so far this year, a staggering number that far outpaces the 173 deaths from COVID-19 the city has seen thus far. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)SAN FRANCISCO – A record 621 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco so far this year, a staggering number that far outpaces the 173 deaths from COVID-19 the city has seen thus far. The crisis fueled by the powerful painkiller fentanyl could have been far worse if it wasn't for the nearly 3,000 times Narcan was used from January to the beginning of November to save someone from the brink of death, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday. The data reflects the number of times people report using Narcan to the Drug Overdose Prevention and Education Project, a city-funded program that coordinates San Francisco’s response to overdose, or return to refill their supply.
A growing problem: New grant aims to help Houston first responders prevent more opioid deaths with use of Narcan
Read full article: A growing problem: New grant aims to help Houston first responders prevent more opioid deaths with use of NarcanHOUSTON September is National Recovery Month and while the focus has been on fighting the spread of coronavirus in Houston, officials said the city is also working to address the worsening opioid addiction crisis. According to a news release, Houston first responders have reported a 17% increase in overdoses in the months of April, May and June compared to last year. According to the release, Narcan has already been used over 1,000 times in 2020 alone. Now, more than ever, the entire Houston community needs to be aware that opioid misuse is a growing problem that could touch the lives of anyone including their own, said Dr. David Persse with the Houston Health Department. Anyone can legally possess and administer naloxone if they or someone they know is at risk of an opioid overdose.