opioid abuse News

Arizona Gets $3.1M in Funding to Combat Opioid Abuse

Arizona’s efforts to combat opioid abuse are getting a $3.1 million boost from federal taxpayers. The U.S. Department of Health Services says the funding provided the state Department of Health Services is included in $144.1 million of grants awarded nationwide …

North Carolina Senate Passes Legislation to Reduce Opioid Abuse

Legislation aimed at reducing opioid abuse and overdoses has passed the North Carolina Senate with unanimous bipartisan support. The measure approved Wednesday changes how drugs such as OxyContin and morphine are prescribed and dispensed. The painkillers come with a high …

Cardinal Health Seeks Dismissal of Drug Suits in 6 West Virginia Counties

A pharmaceuticals distributor has asked a federal judge to dismiss lawsuits filed by six West Virginia counties over the opioid crisis, arguing that they were filed too late and the matter was already addressed in a state suit. Cardinal Health …

Bills Meant to Curb Opioid Abuse in Louisiana Signed by Governor

Obtaining prescriptions for highly addictive opioid drugs in Louisiana will soon be more difficult under bills signed into law on June 12 by Gov. John Bel Edwards, who is hoping to turn the state into a leader in battling the …

Massachusetts and Rhode Island Doctor Pleads Guilty for Overprescribing Opioids

At Dr. Fathalla Mashali’s pain management clinics, the waiting rooms were often so packed with patients that people sat on the floor, leaned against walls and spilled into the hallways. That’s because, federal prosecutors say, Mashali was prescribing oxycodone and …

South Carolina Lawmakers File 10 Bills Aimed at Curbing Opioid Abuse

House Republicans filed 10 proposals Wednesday aimed at curbing South Carolina’s rampant prescription painkiller problem and promised more legislation would follow. “We wanted to get the ball rolling. This is just the first step,” said Rep. Eric Bedingfield, R-Belton, one …

Report: Opioid Prescriptions Drop 11.7% in Wisconsin

A new report says opioid prescriptions dropped nearly 12 percent in Wisconsin in the last three months of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. The report from the state Controlled Substances Board found the number of prescriptions decreased …

Indiana Doctor Faces 55 Felony Charges in ‘Pill Mill’ Case

An Indiana doctor accused of operating a “pill mill” saw as many as 100 patients in a single day and traded pain pills for work on his farm, federal investigators say. Dr. Tristan Stonger faces 55 felony charges stemming from …

Ohio Pharmacy Board: Painkiller Prescriptions Down 20% Since 2012

The state says the number of painkiller prescriptions continues to fall as Ohio battles a deadly addictions epidemic. Data released by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy show 631 million painkiller pills were dispensed to patients last year, down 20 percent …

West Virginia Reaches Largest Settlement to Date with Individual Drug Wholesaler

West Virginia officials have reached a $3.5 million settlement with a wholesaler accused of flooding the state with millions of prescription pain pills. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced the settlement Tuesday with H.D. Smith Wholesale Drug Co. The settlement resolved …