fentanyl
Evolving overdose crisis shakes previously effective treatments
BURLINGTON, Vt. — “You can’t inject a horse tranquilizer and think nothing bad is going to happen” to you, said Ty Sears, 33, a longtime drug user now in recovery. Sears was referring to xylazine, a sedative used for animal surgeries that has infiltrated the illicit drug supply across the country, contributing to a steady […]
White House rolls out strategy to battle deadly drug mixture of fentanyl and xylazine
WASHINGTON — The White House is unveiling a plan to combat the growing threat of drug overdose deaths involving the combination of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and the powerful sedative xylazine, approved only for veterinary use. The plan comes ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’s meeting with state attorneys general next week to discuss the staggering […]
Mexican cartel targeted by Biden administration in multiple fentanyl indictments
WASHINGTON — As illicit fentanyl seizures reach record numbers, the Biden administration on Friday announced “government-wide efforts” to counter narcotics trafficking, including criminally charging members of the Sinaloa Cartel operating out of Mexico, and sanctioning Chinese producers of the chemicals used to make the synthetic drug. The Department of Justice unsealed indictments alleging fentanyl trafficking, […]
Kentucky should decriminalize fentanyl test strips to protect unwitting users and first responders
“We’ve never seen one drug this prevalent in the toxicology reports of overdose fatalities.” Those were the words of Van Ingram executive director of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy. A record high 2,250 Kentuckians died from drug overdoses in 2021, a 14.5% increase compared with the year prior. Fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, […]
Bipartisan Kentucky bill decriminalizing fentanyl test strips clears House
FRANKFORT — A bipartisan Kentucky bill that would pave the way for fentanyl strips to not be considered illegal drug paraphernalia passed the House unanimously 93-0 on Wednesday. House Bill 353 is sponsored by Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser, R-Taylor Mill and has three Democratic co-sponsors. Fentanyl test strips, according to the Centers for Disease Control […]
Bipartisan bill would clear way for distribution of fentanyl test strips in Kentucky
FRANKFORT — Fentanyl test strips could no longer be considered drug paraphernalia in Kentucky under a bipartisan bill that passed a House committee Wednesday. The House Standing Committee on Judiciary approved the measure 17-0, with three members passing House Bill 353, sponsored by Reps. Kimberly Poore Moser, R-Taylor Mill and Rachel Roberts, D-Newport, states: “Testing […]
Funding needed to curb fentanyl smuggling at ports of entry, administration officials say
WASHINGTON — Biden administration officials at a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday on the deadly illicit drug fentanyl said they need more money for better screening technology at ports of entry at the Southern border. They also said the U.S. needs to keep pressure on China due to its role in the sale of chemicals used […]
Biden in State of the Union speech to call for bipartisan action on fentanyl crisis
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday night is expected in his State of the Union address to call on Congress to work with the administration to address in a bipartisan manner the fentanyl crisis, administration officials said on a call with reporters. Biden will call for expanded access to opioid-related addiction treatment and announce […]
Cameron takes his fentanyl fighting message to Northern Kentucky, other stops planned
COVINGTON — Those who have lost loved ones to substance use disorders say Kentucky needs changes to address the opioid crisis. A roundtable Wednesday, led by Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron with law enforcement officials, lawmakers and Northern Kentucky residents, heard calls for changes to laws, training and education. Panelist George Thurmond, […]
U.S. House GOP takes aim at fake pills containing deadly fentanyl sold on social media
WASHINGTON — On a June 2020 morning, Amy Neville entered her son’s bedroom to wake him for an orthodontist appointment. Fourteen-year-old Alex didn’t wake up. He died of fentanyl poisoning after taking a counterfeit pill he bought from someone he met on Snapchat, Neville told GOP lawmakers Wednesday during a roundtable discussion of the role […]
Beshear wants ‘scoring criteria,’ Cameron’s appointee prefers flexibility for settlement money
This article is republished from Kentucky Health News, an independent news service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Kentucky, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Kentucky’s local and state governments continue to reap more millions from settlements […]