#opioid-dependency

#opioid-dependency

The closure saw 47 patients discharged in rapid fashion, some of which didn't have a stable place to transition to and relapsed immediately afterward.

The warm weather initiative began on March 30, according to a memo the Wu administration's Coordinated Response Team sent to the City Council on Monday. The CRT is an interdepartmental group that works to eliminate outdoor substance use and connect people suffering from addiction with treatment and recovery options.

The reason people use drugs of any kind is because they want to escape, Delaney says. I had suicidal ideations from a very, very young age because I assumed that, if I was dead, maybe my mum and dad wouldn't be arguing.

Jasveen Sangha pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

Rosa was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree aggravated harassment for allowing his son to ingest lethal doses of drugs.

Proposition 36, a state ballot measure, enacted harsher penalties for minor theft and drug offenses, with proponents pledging the crackdown would lead to mass treatment to keep people alive, out of jail, and off our streets. Case records, however, suggest the state is largely failing to meet the central goal of getting people help and instead conducting mass arrests and incarcerating more people with addiction.

The status quo is not an option. We have to ban it here in Boston. Kratom refers to both a tree native to southeast Asia and products derived from its leaves. There is particular concern among officials and experts about 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, a potent compound found in kratom. In recent years, products that contain synthetically enhanced amounts of 7-OH have proliferated in smoke shops and convenience stores around the country.

A medical doctor, who attributed his opioid addiction to work stress and admitted stealing and using forged prescriptions, has walked free from court.

Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant medication that is FDA approved for the treatment of seizure disorders and postherpetic neuralgia-a chronic, often debilitating, nerve pain syndrome often linked to shingles. It is classified as an anticonvulsant and a GABA analogue, meaning it mimics the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which normally reduces nerve excitability.

By creating one of the nation's first state health departments, lawmakers and elected officials in 1901 were taking a leadership role in public health that continues to this day. Take the issue of heart health: Just last month, Governor Hochul unveiled a budget proposal that makes major investments in our fight against cardiovascular disease. Healthy hearts start with healthy diets, which is why Governor Hochul included over $100 million for nutrition programs, food banks and food pantries in the Executive Budget.

From 2003 to 2022, annual overdose deaths in the United States rose from less than 26,000 to nearly 108,000-becoming the leading nonmedical cause of death, surpassing car accidents and gun violence combined. In Canada, overdose deaths increased almost tenfold in the same period. In both countries, the surge in deaths was supercharged by "synthetic" opioids such as fentanyl, the ultra-potent, lab-made narcotic that has come to dominate the supply of hard drugs.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced the expansion of its peer-led overdose prevention program, Relay, to a 16th location at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. Data indicate a declining trend in overdose deaths, with 441 confirmed cases reported in the early months of 2025-the lowest since 2020. This follows a decrease from 3,056 deaths in 2023 to 2,192 in 2024, according to the City of New York.