addiction

Critics say GOP Medicaid cuts could slash fentanyl addiction treatment

12:09pm April 14, 2025

Republicans hope to save a lot of tax dollars by cutting Medicaid. Drug policy experts say as many as a million Americans in treatment for addiction could lose coverage.

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Misinformation about fentanyl exposure threatens to undermine overdose response

6:00am April 03, 2025

Fentanyl overdoses occur from ingesting the synthetic opioid. But popular culture has misrepresented the risks to first responders.

President Trump Swears In Robert F Kennedy Jr. As HHS Secretary

Trump team revokes $11 billion in funding for addiction, mental health care

2:22pm March 27, 2025

The Trump administration says it hopes to save $11.4 billion by freezing and revoking COVID-era grants. Addiction experts say clawing back the federal funding is risky and could put patients at risk.

Rural Appalachian Health Clinic Serves Those In Need

Reporter's notebook: 8 theories why fentanyl deaths are plummeting

5:30am March 24, 2025

Some 30,000 fewer people are dying every year in the U.S. from fentanyl and other street drugs. This shift has stunned addiction experts, reversing decades of rising death.

Trump administration extends opioid emergency as fentanyl deaths drop

3:57pm March 19, 2025

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the Trump administration will continue to treat opioid overdoses as a "national security" emergency even as fentanyl deaths decline.

Deadliest phase of fentanyl crisis eases, as all states see recovery

4:12am March 10, 2025

by Brian Mann

In some parts of the U.S., drug deaths have plunged to levels not seen since the fentanyl crisis exploded. Addiction experts say communities still face big challenges.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and hip hop Icon Eric B. visit First Baptist Church Food Pantry

RFK Jr. says he'll fix the overdose crisis. Critics say his plan is risky

7:00am January 29, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. survived heroin addiction and says that if confirmed as head of the Department of Health and Human Services, he'll build treatment "farms" to help people recover.

Lower nicotine requirements in cigarettes could be coming soon

7:12am January 15, 2025

The FDA is expected to propose a new rule Wednesday that would mean cigarettes have lower nicotine limits to make them less addictive.

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Person holding phone with sports betting

East Carolina University launches new research center to study gambling and its effects

3:38pm November 26, 2024

by DJ Simmons

The initiative will look at emerging trends as online sports betting becomes more prevalent across the country.

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California Governor Orders State Officials To Remove Homeless Encampments

Trump would like to bring back mental institutions, but experts are skeptical

9:00am November 13, 2024

Permanent tent cities are another idea Trump has for dealing with people who are unhoused. Sequestering people with mental illness or substance abuse in one place has been tried, an expert says, and "it turns into hell on earth."