opioid addiction

Edward Peter-Paul is chief of the Mi'kmaq Nation in Maine. Decades ago, a sweat ceremony helped him improve his relationship with drugs and alcohol. He hopes the new healing lodge can do the same for other tribal citizens.

Health & Safety

A tribe in Maine is using opioid settlement funds on a sweat lodge to treat addiction

7:01am May 12, 2024

Hundreds of Native American tribes are getting money from lawsuit settlements with opioid companies. Some are investing the new funds in traditional healing practices to treat addiction.

Advocates and victims of the opioid crisis gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 4, 2023, while the justices hear a case about Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy deal. The protesters urged justices to overturn the deal, which would give the Sackler family immunity against future civil cases related to opioids.

In 2023, opioid settlement funds flowed to states. Here's how it's going

4:10pm December 21, 2023

by Aneri Pattani

Some $1.5 billion flowed to local government coffers this year, sparking debates about transparency and how to spend the money. Here are 5 takeaways from a year's worth of reporting on the issue.

States and counties nationwide are using opioid settlement funds for law enforcement efforts, including buying new squad cars. This draws criticism that the funds should be invested in treatment instead.

Law enforcement eyes opioid settlement cash for squad cars and body scanners

4:38pm October 20, 2023

by Aneri Pattani

Some state and local governments have started tapping in to opioid settlement funds for law enforcement expenses. Many argue it should go toward treating addiction instead.

Suboxone, a branded version of buprenorphine and naloxone, is used to treat opioid addiction.

Only 1 in 5 people with opioid addiction get the medications to treat it, study finds

2:16pm August 07, 2023

by Brian Mann

Overdose deaths from fentanyl and other opioids have surged but medications that could save thousands of lives "are sitting on the shelf unused," according to new research.

At a December 2022 meeting, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors decided to use $63,000 of opioid settlement funds to help cover a budget shortfall. Since settlement payments will arrive annually till 2038, they plan to use it as an ongoing revenue source.

A wasted chance to fight addiction? Opioid settlement cash fills a local budget gap

5:08am August 02, 2023

by Aneri Pattani

State attorneys general vowed the funds would go toward tackling the addiction crisis. But as with the tobacco payouts of the 1990s, local officials have started using them to fill budget shortfalls.

States filed lawsuits against corporations involved in the opioid crisis. Now, about $50 billion in settlement funds have begun to flow to state governments. Advocates want to make sure it is used to treat addiction.

Health & Safety

Biden promised a watchdog for opioid settlement billions, but feds are quiet so far

3:16pm April 20, 2023

by Aneri Pattani

Billions of dollars are headed to state and local governments to address the opioid crisis. If the federal government fails to oversee how the money is spent, advocates worry it will be wasted.

Person holding a small container of fentanyl

Education

Guilford County parents will host town hall to raise awareness of fentanyl-related deaths

3:59pm February 21, 2023

by Amy Diaz

Drug overdose deaths in North Carolina have increased 72% since 2019. State officials say that's largely due to illegally manufactured fentanyl.

Pandemic rules that allowed virtual prescribing of controlled medications very controversial. It's allowed many to seek treatment opioid addiction, but some worry about the potential for abuse.

Health & Safety

Limits on virtual addiction treatment may soon return, making care harder to access

5:01am December 30, 2021

by Yuki Noguchi

A ban on using telemedicine to prescribe controlled medications was suspended in the pandemic. That's allowed many to seek opioid addiction treatment, but some worry about potential for abuse.

Louise Vincent, executive director of the North Carolina Survivors Union, holds a vial of the overdose reversal drug naloxone. "Almost everyone that comes here is alive because of naloxone," Vincent says.

Health & Safety

To save lives, overdose antidote should be sold over-the-counter, advocates argue

4:01am December 14, 2021

by Aneri Pattani

With opioid overdoses surging, harm-reduction groups are calling on the FDA to change naloxone's prescription-only status. This would make it easier to get the lifesaving drug to people at risk.

Betsy, played by Kaitlyn Dever, and Dr. Samuel Finnix, Michael Keaton, discuss her first Oxy prescription for back pain from a workplace injury.

So you've watched 'Dopesick'. Here's what you can do to help ease the opioid crisis

7:00am November 18, 2021

The Hulu series Dopesick depicts the start of the opioid addiction crisis in the U.S. As the crisis continues to grow, here's how you can help those affected in your community.