ATLANTA — Rapper Rich Homie Quan died from an accidental drug overdose, the medical examiner’s office in Georgia confirmed. The cause of death for the hip-hop performer, born Dequantes Devontay Lamar, was from a slew of drugs such as fentanyl, alprazolam, codeine and promethazine, according to a Fulton County medical examiner’s report obtained by People … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s new drug czar has a very personal reason for wanting to end the state’s opioid crisis: He was once addicted to prescription painkillers himself. Dr. Stephen Loyd, who has been treating patients with substance use disorder since he got sober two decades ago, says combating opioid addiction in the state … Read more
LOS ANGELES — In 2019, Brandon McDowell was contacted by a sophomore in college who asked to buy Percocet, a prescription painkiller. What the 20-year-old sold her instead were counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that can be lethal in a dose as small as 2 milligrams. Hours later, Alexandra Capelouto, also … Read more
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is shutting down two of its hard-won offices in China, The Associated Press has learned, a move that comes even as the agency struggles to disrupt the flow of precursor chemicals from the country that have fueled a fentanyl epidemic blamed for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. … Read more
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Dozens of women who say they suffered excruciating pain at a Yale University fertility clinic because a nurse stole fentanyl for her own use and replaced it with saline have settled their lawsuits against the Ivy League school. Patients and their lawyers announced the settlements Monday in New Haven, Connecticut, where … Read more
MEDFORD, Ore. — Attorneys representing both living and deceased patients of an Oregon hospital filed a $303 million lawsuit against the facility on Tuesday after a nurse was accused of replacing prescribed fentanyl with nonsterile tap water in intravenous drips. The wrongful death and medical malpractice complaint accuses Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford … Read more
A Vermont man who was fired from his job after he said a random drug test showed he used medical marijuana while off duty for chronic pain has lost his appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court over unemployment benefits. Ivo Skoric, representing himself, told the justices at his hearing in May that he is legally … Read more
LOS ANGELES — A prosecutor says five people have been charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose last year, including the actor’s assistant and two doctors. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges Thursday, saying the doctors supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine and even wondered in a text … Read more
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Businesses that want to sell, process or grow medical marijuana for Kentucky can start applying for permits starting Monday, part of an accelerated push to have products available in early 2025, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. Doctors and advanced practice registered nurses also can begin submitting applications to let them certify eligible … Read more
One person has died and scores more remain hospitalized in Russia in an outbreak of botulism that spans several Russian regions, the authorities have reported. Foodborne botulism is a rare illness caused by a toxin produced by a type of bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. Eating foods contaminated with the toxin can cause paralysis, breathing difficulties … Read more
