Country star Chris Young to join local leaders in raising awareness about dangers of fentanyl
SPOKANE, Wash. – Fentanyl is a growing problem nationwide and right here in the Inland Northwest. The Centers for Disease Control…
opioid epidemic
Police investigating Mead teen's overdose death as a homicide
Police are still trying to determine if a 17-year-old Mead student's drug overdose death was accidental.
Middle-aged black adults see rise in opioid deaths
About 48,000 people lost their lives to opioids in 2017, the latest year for which complete data is available, according to a new study. Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, accounted for almost two-thirds of those deaths.
4 drug companies reach $235M settlement ahead of trial
Hours before the first federal trial in the opioid epidemic was set to begin, four pharmaceutical companies reached a settlement totaling $260 million.
Drug companies fail to reach settlement ahead of opioid crisis trial
Six drug companies accused in thousands of lawsuits over their role in the nation's opioid epidemic failed to reach a settlement with governments across the country, setting the stage for a high-profile trial Monday.
Drug companies may pay $50 billion for their role in opioid crisis
Five of the many companies accused in thousands of federal and state lawsuits over the nation's opioid epidemic may settle for over $50 billion, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
Oklahoma judge miscalculated judgment in opioid case
The Oklahoma judge who recently ordered pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the state's opioid crisis says he made a mathematical error when calculating the judgment.
It's not just opioids: What doctors want you to know about benzos
There's no understating the extent of America's opioid crisis. In 2017, the same year it became a public health emergency, an estimated 1.7 million people in the US had substance abuse disorders related to prescription opioids. And this year, the National Safety Council found that the odds of dying from an accidental opioid overdose are greater than those of dying in a car crash.
Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcy
Purdue Pharma has filed for bankruptcy as part of its plan to settle litigation with dozens of states and and other plaintiffs who say the company fueled the opioid crisis.
Purdue Pharma, opioid cases have preliminary proposed settlement
Purdue Pharma has reached a preliminary proposed settlement with multiple state, local and tribal governments that accuse the company of helping to drive the opioid crisis, officials said. But many attorney generals are opposing it and say the fight is not over.
Gupta: Doctors must lead us out of our opioid abuse epidemic
Veteran doctors don't need a blood test to tell when someone is on the verge of a drug overdose. They can even narrow down the culprit by observation alone. Dilated pupils mean cocaine, amphetamines, maybe LSD. Constricted pupils mean an opiate.
Purdue Pharma in settlement talks over 2,000 lawsuits
Purdue Pharma is involved in talks to settle thousands of federal and state lawsuits that accuse it of fueling the nation's opioid epidemic, the company confirmed to CNN one day after another pharmaceutical giant was ordered to pay more than $500 million for its role in a single state's drug crisis.
Oklahoma wins case against drugmaker in historic opioid trial
In a landmark decision, an Oklahoma judge on Monday ordered pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the state's opioid crisis.
Opioid trial judge could deliver biggest judgment in US history
The judge presiding over the historic Oklahoma opioid trial will deliver his ruling Monday afternoon -- a decision that could have sweeping implications as other states and communities try to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid epidemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans since 2000.
How to be the hero a foster child needs
When it comes to foster care, there is a child behind every statistic yearning for a loving home. The national foster care system served 690,548 kids in 2017, the most recent year reflected in the latest US Department of Health and Human Services report. That's a figure greater than the population of Washington, D.C., and it's been growing steadily.
New data shows flow of billions of pain pills from drug companies
A database charting the course of opioid pills across the country is being made public following a judge's decision, shedding new light on the scope of the drug industry's alleged role in the opioid crisis.
Johnson & Johnson wants Oklahoma opioid case tossed
Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson has asked the judge presiding over the historic Oklahoma opioid trial to toss the case, saying the company has been made a "scapegoat" and blasting the state's effort as a "slew of illogical, legally defective theories far outside the bounds of Oklahoma precedent."
Study: Incarceration, falling incomes may play role in opioid epidemic
Unraveling the factors fueling America's opioid epidemic remains complicated.
Oklahoma rests case in opioid trial against drugmaker Johnson & Johnson
The state of Oklahoma rested its case Tuesday in a historic opioid trial against Johnson & Johnson after grilling a former sales representative about her lack of scientific training and her awareness of the state's painkiller epidemic.
Oklahoma attorney slams Johnson and Johnson witness in opioid trial
Sparks flew in a historic Oklahoma opioid trial on Monday when an attorney for the state grilled a key witness for Johnson & Johnson, demanding to know whether drug companies acted as "snake oil salesmen" in promoting opioids and whether the expert was there to tell the truth.
UN report: Global opioid users double amid US drug crisis
Global use of deadly opioid drugs has risen significantly, a new United Nations report said Wednesday, amid a growing synthetic drug crisis in the United States.
Witness in opioid trial rips into drugmaker Johnson and Johnson
The final witness for the state of Oklahoma on Tuesday said Johnson & Johnson's claims that the company bears zero responsibility for the state's opioid epidemic are
Google puts resources into tackling opioid crisis
Dayton, Ohio, had one of the highest rates of fatal overdoses earlier this decade because of opioid addiction. Now the city will be home to a state-of-the-art treatment center that has the backing of Google parent company Alphabet.
Witness targets Johnson and Johnson's role in opioid crisis
One of the nation's top experts on opioid addiction said Tuesday that Johnson & Johnson's role in the current epidemic may be even
