What congress can do about illicit fentanyl

Photos of Americans who died from a fentanyl overdose are displayed at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, on July 13, 2022. (Photo by Agnes Bun/AFP via Getty Images)

On Jan. 3, a new U.S. Congress will be sworn into office for the 118th time in our nationโ€™s history. Sadly, for the first time ever, these new and returning legislators will assume office under the dark milestone ofย more than 100,000ย drug-related deaths in the past year โ€” an all-time high. Congress can and must act quickly at the national level to turn this deadly tide.ย 

With drug-related fatalities at an all-time high and likely going higher, itโ€™s clear that the status quo isnโ€™t working. New policy approaches matched with recent innovations in treatment are necessary to overcome the stratospheric overdose rate.ย 

Read the full article on The Hill web site or download article PDF.

Narcan kits installed in high schools to fight teen overdoses

A growing number of schools are installing kits stocked with naloxone, also known as Narcan, amid an alarming surge in teen overdoses. NBC Newsโ€™ Morgan Radford reports from Camden County, New Jersey, to learn about one districtโ€™s plan to protect students as dangerous fentanyl becomes more prevalent.

View the original NBC News story on YouTube or the article and video on WRAL.com.

Fentanyl killed their son. Now theyโ€™re begging parents to understand the dangers

CNN โ€” 

It was every parentโ€™s worst nightmare.

Two days after Christmas 2020, Chris Didier went into his son Zachโ€™s bedroom in their home near Sacramento. The accomplished student, school theater actor and athlete was unresponsive at his desk โ€“ his head lying on his arm.

โ€œI could feel before I even touched him that something was horribly wrong,โ€ said Chris.

Read the full story and watch the video on CNN.com

A major drugmaker plans to sell overdose-reversal nasal spray Narcan over the counter

Drug maker Emergent BioSolutions is seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell Narcan over the counter, without need for a prescription.

The medication, an easy-to-use nasal spray version of the drug naloxone, has a strong track record reversing deadly opioid overdoses, which have soared in recent years largely because of the spread of fentanyl.

Read the full article on the NPR web site.

36 Million Lethal Doses of Fentanyl Removed from Communities between May and September

DEA Announces Results of Enforcement Surge to Reduce the Fentanyl Supply Across the United States
9/27/22 DEA Press Release

WASHINGTON โ€“ The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration today announced the results of an enforcement operation that spanned from May to September and resulted in significant fentanyl seizures across the United States.  

As part of the One Pill Can Kill initiative, the DEA and its law enforcement partners seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder during the period of May 23 through Sept. 8, 2022. The amount of fentanyl taken off the streets during this surge is equivalent to more than 36 million lethal doses removed from the illegal drug supply. Additionally, 338 weapons were seized, including rifles, shotguns, pistols, and hand grenades.

Read the full article on the DEA web site.

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