prescription opioid abuse News

At Least 1K Doctors in Georgia Have Yet to Register for Opioid Monitoring Program

About 1,100 doctors in Georgia have not signed up for a program to monitor opioid use. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported doctors were supposed to sign up by Jan. 1 for the state’s prescription drug monitoring program. The doctors were supposed …

How Opioids are Impacting the Kentucky Workforce

The pickings have gotten slimmer when Mike Bowling needs to hire someone for his convenience stores in London and Manchester, where he also has a tobacco store. “This is the hardest I’ve ever seen getting workers and keeping workers,” said …

10 Doctors Charged in West Virginia, Virginia Pill Mill Case

Ten doctors have been charged with overprescribing pain pills from clinics in West Virginia and Virginia, federal prosecutors announced Feb. 20. Two of those patients died. Most of the 69-count indictment charges the owners, managers and physicians associated with Hope …

Drug Company Deflects Blame in Lawsuit Over West Virginia Opioid Crisis

A West Virginia city’s lawsuit against a drug company has led to a dispute over which is at fault in the opioid epidemic. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported last week that one of the nation’s largest drug wholesalers is attempting to …

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 …

New West Virginia Town Files Suit Against Drug Wholesalers Over Opioid Abuse

A southern West Virginia town has joined other communities in seeking to recoup the costs of dealing with opioid abuse. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the McDowell County town of Welch filed a lawsuit Monday against several out-of-state drug distributors. The …

Alabama Governor Forms Task Force to Tackle Opioid Abuse

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has created a new state council to address what the governor called a growing crisis of opioid misuse and addiction. The governor made the announcement at a Dec. 15 news conference at the Alabama Capitol. The …