Opioids

Drug possession is a crime in Oregon once again as law rolling back decriminalization takes effect

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Drug possession is a crime in Oregon once again as law rolling back decriminalization takes effect

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon’s first-in-the-nation experiment with drug decriminalization is coming to an end Sunday, when possessing small amounts of hard drugs will once again become a crime. The Democratic-controlled Legislature passed the recriminalization law in March, overhauling a measure approved by 58% of voters in 2020 that made possessing illicit drugs like heroin punishable … Read more

Harvard rebuffs protests and won’t remove Sackler name from two buildings

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Harvard rebuffs protests and won’t remove Sackler name from two buildings

BOSTON — Harvard University has decided against removing from campus buildings the name of a family whose company makes the powerful painkiller OxyContin, despite protests from parents whose children fatally overdosed. The decision last month by the Harvard Corporation to retain Arthur M. Sackler’s name on a museum building and second building runs counter to … Read more

B.C. premier says ‘zero’ chance of no-prescription opioids

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B.C. premier says ‘zero’ chance of no-prescription opioids

British Columbia Premier David Eby says there’s a “zero per cent chance” the province will implement recommendations by the provincial health officer that alternatives to opioids and other street drugs be made available without a prescription. Eby says he has “huge respect” for Dr. Bonnie Henry, who he said saved countless lives during the COVID-19 … Read more

The threat of litigation looms as Purdue Pharma returns to settlement talks

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The threat of litigation looms as Purdue Pharma returns to settlement talks

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is trying to chart the course for a new mass settlement of thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids after the U.S. Supreme Court last month rejected its previous deal, which was years in the making. State, local and tribal governments and individual victims want a sense of justice — … Read more

Melissa Etheridge connects with incarcerated women in new docuseries ‘I’m Not Broken’

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Melissa Etheridge connects with incarcerated women in new docuseries ‘I’m Not Broken’

NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Melissa Etheridge realized two career dreams with her new docuseries “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken”: performing for incarcerated women and recording the concert for a live album. The singer-songwriter grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas — an area home to a well-known federal penitentiary and other state and military … Read more

Supreme Court blocks Purdue Pharma bankruptcy deal in opioid settlement

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Supreme Court blocks Purdue Pharma bankruptcy deal in opioid settlement

The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy deal that would’ve contributed billions of dollars to pay victims and combat the opioid epidemic in exchange for immunizing the wealthy Sackler family from civil lawsuits.  In a 5-4 decision authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the high court ruled federal law does not permit the Sacklers, … Read more

Arkansas sues 2 pharmacy benefit managers, accusing them of fueling opioid epidemic in state

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Arkansas sues 2 pharmacy benefit managers, accusing them of fueling opioid epidemic in state

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas on Monday sued two pharmacy benefit managers that oversee coverage for insurers, employers and other large clients, accusing them of fueling the opioid crisis in the state. Attorney General Tim Griffin filed the lawsuit against Express Scripts Inc. and Optum Inc., and their subsidiaries, in state court. Pharmacy benefit managers … Read more

An Oregon nurse faces assault charges that she stole fentanyl and replaced IV drips with tap water

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Arkansas sues 2 pharmacy benefit managers, accusing them of fueling opioid epidemic in state

MEDFORD, Ore. — A former nurse at a southern Oregon hospital is facing criminal charges that she harmed nearly four dozen patients by stealing fentanyl and replacing it with non-sterile tap water in intravenous drips. Many of the patients developed serious infections, and 16 of them died, but authorities said they did not pursue murder, … Read more

Last year’s deadly heat wave in metro Phoenix didn’t discriminate

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Last year’s deadly heat wave in metro Phoenix didn’t discriminate

PHOENIX — Priscilla Orr, 75, was living in her old white Kia in a supermarket parking lot last summer after telling her family she lost her money and home to a romance scam. But the car broke down, and the air conditioner stopped working, leaving her vulnerable to the dangerous desert heat. Orr collapsed last … Read more

Matthew Perry’s death under investigation in connection with ketamine level found in actor’s blood

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Matthew Perry’s death under investigation in connection with ketamine level found in actor’s blood

LOS ANGELES — Authorities have opened an investigation into how Matthew Perry received the supply of ketamine that killed him, police said Tuesday. Los Angeles police are working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with a probe into why the 54-year-old “Friends” star had so much of the drug … Read more