BY HANNAH STANLEY Mayor Linda Gorton announced Wednesday the creation of the Opioid Abatement Commission that will be responsible for suggesting to administration and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council how to allocate the National Opioid Litigation settlement funds. A joint lawsuit with additional cities and states resulted in an agreement[Read More…]
Legislation & Public Policy
Opioid Deaths Could Hit 165,000 Annually Without Intervention, Biden Official Warns
By Molly Bohannon, Forbes Staff The director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy warned that—without implementation of President Joe Biden’s intervention initiatives—opioid deaths could dramatically increase to about 165,000 annually by 2025. KEY FACTS Biden-nominated drug czar Dr. Rahul Gupta warned of the potential increase in[Read More…]
Opioid Deaths Could Hit 165,000 Annually Without Intervention, Biden Official Warns
The director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy warned that—without implementation of President Joe Biden’s intervention initiatives—opioid deaths could dramatically increase to about 165,000 annually by 2025. Read more at Forbes.
Opinion: $42M for psychedelics research is not how Kentucky should be fighting opioid addiction
On May 31, Kentucky’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission announced that it will be allocating approximately $42 million from the state’s Opioid Settlement Fund to research the psychedelic drug, ibogaine. This decision — framed as a way to combat opioid dependence in the future — is misguided, and funds could be used in a number of ways[Read More…]
Bipartisan senators look to add fentanyl provision to defense policy bill
BY ELLEN MITCHELL Two senators are taking aim at fentanyl trafficking by trying to add a provision to the annual defense policy bill that would make it a national security threat. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) look to propose the Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act as an amendment to the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)[Read More…]
Fentanyl-related drugs permanently made criminal under bill passed by U.S. House
BY: ASHLEY MURRAY WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in the U.S. House passed bipartisan legislation Thursday in an effort to curb staggering overdose deaths from illegal fentanyl substances that are illicitly produced and up to 50 times stronger than heroin. The HALT Fentanyl Act, passed on a 289-133 vote with 74 Democratic votes and support from[Read More…]
New nasal spray to reverse fentanyl and other opioid overdoses gets FDA approval
This photo provided by Indivior in May 2023 shows their drug Opvee. On Monday, May 22, 2023, U.S. health regulators approved the medication to reverse overdoses caused by fentanyl and other powerful opioids, which are currently driving the nation’s drug crisis.(Indivior via AP) By The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S.[Read More…]
Attorney General Cameron Urges Congress to Protect Kentuckians from Illicit Xylazine
By Kentucky Attorney General Cameron FRANKFORT, Ky. – KY Attorney General Daniel Cameron urged Congress to pass the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act. The bipartisan legislation would curb the widespread use and trafficking of xylazine and help prevent overdose deaths. Xylazine is a pharmaceutical drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug[Read More…]
Biden’s drug czar declares fentanyl laced with animal tranquilizer an ’emerging threat’ facing U.S.
Fentanyl mixed with the veterinary sedative xylazine has been linked to a sharp increase of overdose deaths across the country. By Daniel Arkin President Joe Biden’s drug czar on Wednesday declared that fentanyl mixed with xylazine, an animal tranquilizer known as “tranq” that has been linked to a rising number of overdose[Read More…]
Louisville families, addiction recovery groups applauding FDA’s approval for over-the-counter Narcan
By Dakota Sherek and Molly Jett LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Local families and addiction recovery groups are applauding the decision to allow an overdose-reversing drug to be sold over the counter. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved selling the leading version of naloxone without a prescription, setting the overdose-reversing[Read More…]