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The Latest Breaking News from Opioids

Highly potent synthetic opioids found in teddy bear-shaped pills linked to a death in Queensland

Public health warning issued after drugs known as nitazenes detected amid move to ban pill testing

The Guardian - AU

How Opioid Prescriptions Are Being Overused in Senior Care Settings

Opioid medications were once hailed as breakthrough pain relievers—but for seniors in care settings, they’ve quietly become a growing concern. Long-term prescriptions, often written for...

Saving Advice

Police uncover first UK lab producing new type of deadly opioids

Nitazenes were involved in 38 drug deaths in Scotland in the space of just a few months

The Independent UK

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UK’s first nitazene drug lab found in Ayrshire, police board told

The high-strength synthetic opioids sometimes mixed into other drugs can be dangerous due to their potency.

Evening Standard

10 times stronger than fentanyl, nitazenes are the latest, deadly development in the synthetic opioid crisis

At the end of 2023, the health crisis caused by fentanyl use in the United States set alarm bells ringing. However, the situation may get even worse with the emergence of another family of synthetic opioids: nitazenes.

The Conversation

What correctional officers think about harm-reduction services for incarcerated people with drug addictions

Opioids, including the best known — morphine, heroin and fentanyl — have been gaining popularity over the last few decades. Although officially banned, these painkillers still find their way into prisons either via drones or with visitors. The result is that more and more prisoners are using opioids.

The Conversation

‘Crisis on top of crisis’: Scotland faces threat from dangerous form of opioids, experts warn

Synthetic opioids known as nitazenes, linked to more than 100 deaths, can be hundreds of times stronger than other drugs

The Guardian - UK

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New data shows a jump in older people dying from drug overdoses

When we talk about drug overdose deaths, many of us imagine a problem that affects young people.

The Conversation

Balancing kratom’s potential benefits and risks − new legislation in Colorado seeks to minimize harm

David Bregger had never heard of kratom before his son, Daniel, 33, died in Denver in 2021 from using what he thought was a natural and safe remedy for anxiety.

The Conversation

Running is a substance-free pleasure that supports addiction recovery

Addiction is a widespread health issue that will affect about one in five Canadians over their lifetimes. For example, addiction to opioids has led to opioid and overdose crises in many cities, which has brought the social question of addiction to the forefront.

The Conversation

Urgent warning after synthetic opioids linked to 38 deaths in Scotland over just three months

Between January and March 2025, nitazenes were detected in 38 deaths

The Independent UK

'Disturbing evolution': opioid-laced vape liquid seized

An Australian-first arrest was triggered after vape liquid laced with a dangerous and highly addictive synthetic opioid was marketed to hundreds of buyers.

AAP

Shocking new report finds this drug is more deadly than fentanyl

Even trace amounts of the drug can trigger a deadly overdose

The Independent UK

Is London on the brink of a deadly opioid crisis? The killer synthetic drugs flooding the capital’s clubs

Up to 500 times stronger than heroin, killer synthetic opioids called nitazenes are flooding the capital’s clubs — masquerading as other recreational drugs. Claire Cohen reports

Evening Standard

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The Conversation

Speedballing – the deadly mix of stimulants and opioids – requires a new approach to prevention and treatment

Speedballing – the practice of combining a stimulant like cocaine or methamphetamine with an opioid such as heroin or fentanyl – has evolved from a niche subculture to a widespread public health crisis. The practice stems from the early 1900s when World War I soldiers were often treated with a…

Reason

The Real Opioid Crisis Isn't Prescriptions—It's Prohibition

West Virginia's overdose data prove it: Officials misunderstood the problem, and patients paid the price.

Radio France Internationale

Cocaine and synthetic drugs power new era of global trafficking

The world drug market has never been so globalised, active and diverse, according to the United Nations – which marks International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Thursday. RFI takes a look at the latest trends, from the explosion of cocaine to shifting routes and new synthetic drugs.

The Independent UK

Purdue Pharma's $7B opioid settlement plan could get votes from victims and cities

A judge could decide Friday whether to advance OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's $7 billion-plus plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids

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Reason

Review: A Doctor Changes His Mind About Opioid Prescriptions

In Greed to Do Good, a former CDC physician calls the agency's war on opioids a disaster.

The Independent UK

A judge could advance Purdue Pharma's $7B opioid settlement after all 50 states back it

A judge is being asked to clear the way for local governments and individual victims to vote on OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids

The Independent UK

Purdue Pharma to pay $7.4 billion in opioid lawsuit settlement

Besides the hefty financial reward, the settlement also ends the Sackler family’s ownership of Purdue Pharma and their ability to sell opioids in the U.S.

Euronews

Denmark launches campaign to help parents talk to their teens in bid to curb opioid abuse

Danish authorities launched the campaign after a survey found that nearly half of Copenhagen parents do not know enough about opioids to talk to their children about the drugs.

The Conversation

Millions of US children have parents with substance use disorder, and the consequences are staggering − new research

About 1 in 4 U.S. children – nearly 19 million – have at least one parent with substance use disorder. This includes parents who misuse alcohol, marijuana, prescription opioids or illegal drugs. Our estimate reflects an increase of over 2 million children since 2020 and an increase of 10 million…

The Conversation

For opioid addiction, treatment underdosing can lead to fentanyl overdosing – a physician explains

Imagine a patient named Rosa tells you she wakes up night after night in a drenching sweat after having very realistic dreams of smoking fentanyl.

The Conversation

Too many people with back pain call ambulances or visit the ED. Here’s why that’s a problem

Around 4 million Australians experience back problems and people are increasingly calling ambulances and presenting to emergency departments to manage back pain.

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