The synthetic drug can be 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin or prescription opioids.
opioid epidemic
States look for solutions as U.S. fentanyl deaths keep rising
With fentanyl driving fatal overdoses to record levels in the U.S., state governments are scrambling for solutions.
Congress urges DOJ, Treasury to examine drug companies’ plans to turn opioid settlements into tax breaks
Congress is calling on federal officials to review four large drug companies’ plans to deduct the cost of a landmark opioid settlement from their taxes.
‘Scum of the earth’: Opioid victims face owners of Purdue Pharma
Addiction and overdose survivors and those who have lost loved ones have unleashed their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the opioid epidemic.
Mainers gather for Black Balloon Day, marking 636 overdose deaths in 2021
Members of the Maine recovery community advocate for an amendment to the state Good Samaritan Law that would protect anyone at the scene of an overdose from punishment for nonviolent crimes.
Portrayed as villain in TV series about opioid crisis, ex-U.S. attorney for Maine says he didn’t sell out
Jay McCloskey, who has a brief but unflattering portrayal in the new miniseries ‘Dopesick,’ defends his work for the OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma in the early 2000s.
Congressional report calls for new strategy for opioids and a Cabinet-level leader
Recent news that overdose deaths surpassed 100,000 in one year has caught the public’s attention.
Westbrook joins in lawsuit against opioid companies
The city of Westbrook is joining a nationwide lawsuit against two pharmaceutical companies that produce opioids to be part of a $26 billion settlement with approximately 4,000 communities in 45 states. The settlement requires distributors McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corporation to pay up to $21 billion over 18 years and for Janssen, […]
Maine to receive $130 million over 18 years in national opioid lawsuit settlement
The money will be used to fight the ongoing epidemic that resulted in a record number of overdose deaths last year.
Maine Voices: We can’t leave overdose survival to chance – expand Maine’s Good Samaritan law
L.D. 1862 will ensure that no one has to weigh getting emergency medical help against arrest or prosecution for nonviolent crimes.