addiction
Synthetic drugs are killing more Americans as they render treatment options less effective
BURLINGTON, Vt. — “You can’t inject a horse tranquilizer and think nothing bad is gonna happen” to you, said Ty Sears, 33, a longtime drug user now in recovery. Sears was referring to xylazine, a sedative used for animal surgeries that has infiltrated the illicit drug supply across the country, contributing to a steady climb […]
Opioid settlement funds provide 15K Narcan kits to Arkansas law enforcement
NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Law enforcement agencies from throughout Arkansas are collecting naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdose, at the Camp Robinson military base Thursday and Friday. More than 15,000 kits of naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, were available Thursday morning. Vehicles from municipal police and county sheriffs’ departments lined up outside […]
Meet the people deciding how to spend $50 billion in opioid settlement cash
As more than $50 billion makes its way to state and local governments to compensate for the opioid epidemic, people with high hopes for the money are already fighting over a little-known bureaucratic arm of the process: state councils that wield immense power over how the cash is spent. In 14 states, these councils have […]
Mental health, addiction replace access to basic care as top rural health issue
For the first time in 20 years, mental health and addiction are more pressing health concerns than getting access to basic healthcare, according to a survey of rural stakeholders. Rural Healthy People 2030, released by the Southwest Rural Health Resource Center, surveyed a national sample of people “working to improve the lives and health of […]
Sanders announces fentanyl trafficking legislation, new “drug czar” for Arkansas
The Arkansas Legislature will consider legislation that would charge drug traffickers with murder if someone dies of an overdose after receiving drugs from them, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin announced at a Friday press conference. Fentanyl traffickers would be sentenced to between 20 and 60 years in prison with the possibility […]
UAMS researchers test app designed to prevent opioid use relapse
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researchers have developed an award-winning smartphone app designed to decrease opioid cravings and optimize medication-assisted treatment for people with opioid use disorder. Supported by a $2.8 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the research team is testing the effectiveness of OptiMAT (Optimizing Medication Assisted Treatment) among […]
‘An addict and treated like a criminal’: Native woman’s death sparks questions
In May of 2021, Abbey Lynn Steele gave birth to her first child, a baby boy. A urine test showed methamphetamine in his system. Steele, who turned 19 that month, also tested positive for meth. The drug’s detection in the baby’s urine assured that Steele would not keep full custody under South Dakota law. Its […]
Russellville ER doctor recognized for treating opioid patients throughout Arkansas
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Dr. Kristin Martin saw more struggles and deaths from drug overdoses than from the coronavirus, she said Tuesday at an Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care event honoring her efforts to alleviate the ongoing opioid epidemic throughout the state. Martin is an emergency department physician and the CEO and medical […]