drug overdose deaths News

International Opioid ‘Pill Mill’ Busted

Two people in Italy and five U.S. residents have been charged in a fraud and drug trafficking conspiracy to distribute opioids in Florida and Tennessee, leading to hundreds of deaths, federal prosecutors said Friday. The indictments were unsealed by federal …

Nearly All Doctors Prescribe Opioids for Longer Than Recommended

Most doctors – 99 percent – are prescribing highly addictive opioid medicines for longer than the three-day period recommended, according to a national survey. Twenty-three percent prescribe at least a month’s worth of opioids. Also, according to the survey by …

Fewer Painkiller Overdose Deaths in Florida Linked to ‘Pill Mill’ Crackdown

A crackdown on Florida’s “pill mills” – clinics dispensing large quantities of prescription painkillers often for cash-only and without proper medical examinations – appears to have dramatically reduced the number of overdose deaths in the state from these drugs and …

Prescription Drug Overdose Deaths Decline in Oklahoma

The number of Oklahomans dying from unintentional prescription drug overdoses has dropped to its lowest level in eight years. Preliminary data from the state Health Department show 510 people died from unintentional prescription drug overdoses in 2014 compared to 538 …

Minnesota Overdose Deaths Exceed Traffic Fatalities

The Minnesota Department of Health has an alarming statistic about drug overdose deaths. The number of people who have died from heroin and prescription painkiller overdoses in 2013 is greater than the number of people killed in traffic accidents in …

Utah Measure Aims to Prevent Overdose Deaths

A Democratic state representative who has seen family members and former students suffer with addiction is pushing a legislative measure that would grant limited criminal immunity to people who call police to report an overdose. Rep. Carol Spackman Moss of …

South Carolina Officials Tweak Approach on Prescription Drugs

South Carolina health officials said Tuesday they’re shortening the amount of time pharmacists have to turn over prescription information as part of a collaborative effort to clamp down on prescription drug abuse. Department of Health and Environmental Control director Catherine …

Report: Reckless Prescribing Common in California

California patients are at risk from reckless prescribing by doctors because of a lack of oversight at the state Medical Board, an investigation has found. The board seldom tries to suspend the prescribing privileges of physicians under investigation, and even …