opioids

Kansas is one of just a few states without a good Samaritan law that encourages people to call 911 when they witness a drug overdose, and it doesn’t permit syringe service programs that provide sterile injection equipment.

The drug is now the leading cause of overdose deaths in Harris County.

Evidence is mounting that good Samaritan laws save lives. Kansas is one of just a few states without a law to encourage people to call 911 if a friend is overdosing.

Since August 2020, more than 200 people have started treatment for drug addiction at Crawford County Jail. Most continued their treatment after leaving jail.

Drug users who think they're taking one substance sometimes unknowingly take fentanyl that's mixed in to increase potency. Small doses of fentanyl can kill.

Long seen as a crisis afflicting rural communities, the opioid epidemic in recent years has surged in Black communities.

Critics say the settlement doesn't hold company executives or members of the Sackler family accountable for their aggressive marketing of OxyContin, which helped fuel the nation's opioid epidemic.

Thousands of lawsuits that ground to a halt because of COVID-19 are moving forward again as local, state and federal courts reopen around the U.S.

Relaxed regulations in response to the pandemic means more access to addiction treatment medications. But recovery programs are accepting fewer people, and the danger of overdose remains high.

John Kapoor, the former billionaire who founded drugmaker Insys Therapeutics, is among the executives to be sentenced for racketeering.