Opioid epidemic

Bags of white powdery fentanyl on a table.

How the deadly drug fentanyl is making its way to the US

July 18, 2019Health

Fentanyl, a deadly drug 100 times stronger than morphine, is linked to complex international supply chains that traffic it into the US.

closeup of an acupuncturist's hands inserting needles

Is acupuncture a viable alternative to opioids for patients in pain?

September 25, 2018Health & Medicine

As opioids land more women in prison, Ohio finds alternative treatments

March 27, 2018Lifestyle

A used container of the drug Narcan, which is used against opioid overdoses, lies on the ground in a park in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Oct. 26, 2017.

US life expectancy fell in 2016 for second year in a row

December 21, 2017Health

The family that helped start the opioid crisis

October 27, 2017Medicine

A pharmacist holds prescription painkiller OxyContin, 40mg pills, made by Purdue Pharma L.D. at a local pharmacy.

Why the opioid crisis is an American problem

October 26, 2017Health

America leads the world in drug overdose deaths and opioid consumption. And it has a lot to do with the ways prescription painkillers are advertised and regulated in the US compared to other countries.

Master Grower Ryan Douglas waters marijuana plants in a growing room at Tweed Marijuana Inc. in Smith's Falls, Ontario.

Is marijuana a secret weapon against the opioid epidemic?

June 30, 2017Health

Studies suggest that in states with medical marijuana programs, there are fewer opioid overdose-related deaths.

The number of daily opioid overdoses in South Florida is overwhelming police

April 20, 2017Lifestyle

The man’s roommates found him unconscious and he was turning blue, not breathing. He was overdosing on heroin.

In 2015 alone, 33,000 Americans died of an opioid-related overdose. What’s fueling the epidemic?

December 23, 2016Health

Prescribed drugs — as well as illicit ones, are feeding the opioid epidemic, according to two experts.