drugs

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Birth Control, Diabetes Meds in Canada Will Soon Be Free

Government passes law to boost access to drugs, though some provinces are balking

(Newser) - Our neighbor to the north is making it easier for citizens to acquire contraceptives and insulin. Canada's Parliament has just passed a law that will provide contraceptives to its citizens free of charge, as well as drugs for diabetes patients, covering the entire cost for those without insurance, as...

Big Drop in OD Deaths: 'This Has Not Happened by Accident'

Preliminary data from CDC shows 10% decrease in overdose deaths in 12-month span ending in April

(Newser) - Partly due to fentanyl rampaging through the narcotics pipeline, the United States has seen a depressingly high death count from drug overdoses in recent years. Now, however, signs of improvement: According to preliminary data from the states released in August by the CDC , there was a 10% drop in that...

CBP Probably Didn't Expect to Find This Much Bologna

Officers in Texas say woman coming from Mexico had 750 pounds' worth of meat in car, plus drugs

(Newser) - When officials inspected the bags of a woman crossing over from Mexico into Texas earlier this week, they noticed her suitcases seemed to be heavier than they should. They soon found out why: Customs and Border Protection says that when they opened up the bags in the GMC Yukon at...

Among Perry's Last Words: 'Shoot Me Up'

Actor's illegal ketamine injections quickly went from bad to worse: court documents

(Newser) - Matthew Perry had repeatedly fallen unconscious or otherwise been unable to speak or move after injecting large amounts of ketamine before his last, fatal dose, court documents reveal. The Friends actor was undergoing medically supervised ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety but was also injecting illegal doses up to...

Doctors Charged in Perry's Death Mocked Him in Texts

Actor's personal assistant and an alleged dealer known as the 'Ketamine Queen' also charged

(Newser) - Authorities have charged five people in last year's fatal overdose of Matthew Perry —including his personal assistant and two doctors, reports the Washington Post . Perry died of a ketamine overdose last year at the age of 54, and authorities have been investigating the source of the drug. The...

14 Bodies Found Aboard Boat Drifting Off Dominican Republic
Mysterious Drifting Boat
Reveals 14 Skeletons
in case you missed it
Aug 11, 2024 12:50 PM CDT

Mysterious Drifting Boat Reveals 14 Skeletons

Dominican Republic authorities say bodies, packages with apparent drugs were found on board

(Newser) - Authorities this week discovered an abandoned boat floating off the Dominican Republic's northern coast, with a most gruesome discovery on board: 14 sets of mostly decomposed human remains, as well as a dozen packages of what appears to be illegal drugs. The AP reports that the vessel was spotted...

Hurricane Debby Dumps $1M in Cocaine on Florida Beach
Hurricane Debby Apparently
Brought a Lot of Cocaine
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Aug 10, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Hurricane Debby Apparently Brought a Lot of Cocaine

Storm dumps packages worth $1M on beaches in the Florida Keys

(Newser) - Hurricane Debby is wreaking havoc in the South this week, with Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina its biggest targets, but the storm system brought a little something extra to the Sunshine State, per the AP : 70 pounds of cocaine, worth about $1 million, that washed up in the Florida Keys,...

After US Pressure, China Yields on Fentanyl Chemicals

Beijing agrees to crack down on drug's precursors starting Sept. 1

(Newser) - China, one of the largest sources of chemicals used to produce fentanyl, will impose new restrictions on the substances, in a move signaling the Biden administration's pressure campaign has paid off. The administration has for years been pushing Beijing to impose stricter oversight over the production and sale of...

This Drug 'Could Change the Trajectory' of HIV Epidemic

Gilead's Sunlenca prevents infections in girls and young women who get a twice-yearly shot

(Newser) - A twice-yearly shot was 100% effective in preventing HIV infections in young women and teen girls, according to the results of what some are calling a "breakthrough" phase 3 trial. The randomized, double-blind trial by drugmaker Gilead Sciences involved more than 5,000 young women and girls in South...

As It Turns Out, Cocaine Sharks Are Real
Brazil Sharks Test
Positive for Cocaine
NEW STUDY
Jul 23, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Brazil Sharks Test Positive for Cocaine

Presence of the drug in wild sharks is verified for the first time

(Newser) - Cocaine sharks really do exist, researchers have confirmed, a year after scientists probed the possibility in the "Shark Week" documentary Cocaine Sharks and filmmakers terrified audiences with a horror film of almost the same name . A group of Brazilian sharpnose sharks taken from the ocean near Rio de Janeiro...

Report: Texas Bought Its Execution Drug From 'Pill Mill'

NPR probe finds state scooped up pentobarbital made by San Antonio compound pharmacy

(Newser) - When Texas tried in the past to get its hands on pentobarbital, a drug used in lethal injections there to mixed success, pharmaceutical companies said they wanted no part of the execution circuit. The state apparently found another conduit. After a review of federal DEA records and files from the...

On Alzheimer's, an Advance 'We've All Been Waiting For'

Eli Lilly's donanemab, sold as Kisunla, gets the FDA green light to help slow disease progression

(Newser) - Last summer, the Food and Drug Administration gave the thumbs-up to Leqembi, the first drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Now, almost a year to the day after that move, the government agency has greenlit a second drug: Eli Lilly's donanemab, sold under the brand...

Supreme Court Tosses Controversial Opioid Settlement

5-4 ruling blocks nationwide deal with Purdue Pharma over opioid epidemic

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would have shielded members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids but also would have provided billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic. After deliberating...

After 'Years of Effort,' Indiana's Death Penalty May Resume

Officials finally get hands on pentobarbital for lethal injections, though it's not clear from where

(Newser) - The state of Indiana hasn't put someone to death in 15 years, but that streak is soon about to be broken. GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb announced on Wednesday that he and fellow Republican Todd Rokita, the state's attorney general, are seeking to execute 49-year-old Joseph Corcoran, with Rokita...

This Ozempic Study Went So Well That It Was Stopped Early

Research finds semaglutide can cut risk of serious illness, death in those with diabetes, kidney disease

(Newser) - Semaglutide , the medication found in such brands as Ozempic and Wegovy, has become the drug of choice lately for weight loss. A new study, however, suggests it can also bring other significant benefits to users, including slashing the risk of serious kidney complications, heart problems, and even death in...

Diddy's Alleged Drug Mule Reaches Deal With Prosecutors

Brendan Paul is accused in a lawsuit of acquiring drugs and guns for the rapper

(Newser) - A man accused of acting as a drug mule for rapper Diddy has entered a drug diversion program in the hope of avoiding jail time. Brendan Paul, 25, who previously worked as Diddy's main assistant, was arrested at a Miami airport on March 27, around the same time federal...

It's a Rare Something to Celebrate Amid Fentanyl Crisis

Overdose deaths decline for first time since 2018

(Newser) - There's a glimmer of hope in the ongoing drug crisis powered by fentanyl. Overdose deaths declined in 2023 for the first time in five years, though the drop was only slight, according to CDC estimates. There were 107,500 deaths, down 3% from 111,029 in 2022, preliminary data...

Workers Are Cheating on Drug Tests Like Never Before
Workers Are Cheating on
Drug Tests Like Never Before
the rundown
May 15, 2024 12:15 PM CDT

Workers Are Cheating on Drug Tests Like Never Before

Quest Diagnostics describes 633% spike in swapped tests in 2023

(Newser) - Most of the millions of drug screens performed in the US each year come back negative. A small but growing fraction, however, come back positive. And a rapidly increasing number show signs of tampering. Indeed, US workers are cheating on drug tests at the highest rate in decades, according to...

Cops Find 4 Pounds of Coke in Little Kid's Backpack

Tierra Toccara Hill, 35, arrested after raid on her home in Mobile, Alabama

(Newser) - An Alabama woman is in custody after cops found more than 4 pounds of cocaine in the backpack of a 3-year-old in her home, among other discoveries. Per KTLA , deputies with the Mobile County Sheriff's Office got a tip that 35-year-old Tierra Tocorra Hill was stashing illegal drugs in...

Boat Chase Leads to Biggest Cocaine Seizure 'of the Year'

Value of shipment seized off Colombian island estimated at $113M

(Newser) - A high-speed boat chase ended with Colombia's "largest cocaine shipment seizure of the year," per CBS News . The Colombian navy and air force worked with the US Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force to chase down the speedboat found to hold nearly 4 tons of cocaine,...

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