America's opioid epidemic
Inside America's growing struggle with opioid painkillers and heroin addiction
Latest
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Amid opioid crisis, city sues pharma that makes OxyContin
Everett, Washington, is suing Purdue Pharma, maker of the opioid pain medication OxyContin
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Mobile cooling unit used after Ohio county morgue runs out of space
The county's morgue ran out of space in part because of fatal drug overdoses
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Addicts using pets to feed drug habit, vets warn
People don't want to believe anyone would intentionally hurt their pet, but vets say drug abusers are doing just that
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Hidden problem may hinder opioid addiction treatment
Opioid addicts who undergo “medication-assisted treatment” often have a serious side issue, say Johns Hopkins researchers
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CDC: Drug OD deaths nearly triple since 1999
Whites and middle-aged adults have been hardest hit, new report finds
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Louisville sees record 52 overdoses in 32 hours
In response, dozens of people received free training on how to administer naloxone, a drug used to counter the effects of opioids like heroin
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Opioid overdose crisis plagues Cleveland
Every day, 91 Americans die from an overdose of opioids; in Cleveland, it's a crisis
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West Virginia distributing 8,000 overdose antidote kits
West Virginia has the highest rate of overdoses of any state
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Naloxone price spike felt by emergency responder
Several cities, including Indianapolis, say they are spending more taxpayer dollars on the life-saving drug because the price has doubled
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Mysterious amnesia cases may have surprising cause
Researchers say the cases clustered in one state are likely related to opioid use
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Federal prosecutor tackles heroin scourge that claimed his son
“This epidemic hits everybody, and I think my situation exemplifies that,” says Bruce Brandler, interim U.S. attorney in Pennsylvania
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Mass. baby revived twice after ingesting fentanyl
“The opioid epidemic knows no boundaries,” mayor warns, as police still have not announced charges in baby's near-overdose
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A novel approach: Fighting painkiller addiction at home
While waiting to get into a treatment program, people hooked on opioids can use a drug at home to curb cravings, new research suggests
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Former drugmaker execs accused of bribing doctors to push pain meds
Six former employees of Insys Therapeutics face conspiracy charges over allegedly rewarding doctors for prescribing their spray version of fentanyl -- even when it wasn't necessary
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Overdose deaths rise by more than 100 percent in some states, CDC report says
In comparison, the number of people who died from car crashes increased 12 percent and gun deaths (including homicides and suicides) increased 7 percent
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Drugmakers push profitable, but unproven, opioid solution
Pharmaceutical companies are promoting harder-to-abuse painkillers but proof is scant on whether or not they help reduce overdoses
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Doctors track "explosion" of opioid-addicted newborns
Newborn babies addicted to opioids are being born at record rates – especially in rural areas
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Drug overdoses now kill more Americans than guns
“I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like this. Certainly not in modern times."
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Rising price of opioid OD antidote could cost lives
Escalating prices of the drug naloxone may threaten efforts to reduce opioid-related deaths across America, new research suggests
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Elephant sedative blamed for rash of W. Va. overdoses
Prosecutors say 22-year-old Ohio man was selling carfentanil, which is 100 times more potent than fentanyl
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Heroin's colorblind, gender-equal, easy-access assault on America
While anti-overdose drugs like Narcan have become a lifeline, there is no quick fix for the epidemic that's spread across the country
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Surgeon general report calls for major shift on treating addiction
In the first report of its kind, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for a major shift in the way addiction is treated in the United States
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Surgeon general: Addiction is not a character flaw
Dr. Vivek Murthy calls for a major cultural shift in the way Americans view drug and alcohol addiction
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DEA acting chief on stopping America's opioid epidemic
A groundbreaking new report calls substance abuse one of America's most pressing public health problems, with 12.5 million Americans having abused prescription painkillers last year. Seventy-eight Americans die every day from opioid overdoses, and the CDC says more people died from drug overdoses than car accidents or gun violence in 2014. Drug Enforcement Administration acting administrator Chuck Rosenberg joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the crisis.
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Prisons fight opioids with $1,000 injections: Does it work?
The drug, Vivitrol, is pricey and skeptics are questioning its effectiveness
An Addict's Story
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Six months clean, recovering heroin addict Jason Amaral works to help others
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Jason Amaral, six months clean, reflects on his recovery
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In the shadow of death: Jason's journey
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The high cost of heroin addiction
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What it's like to love a heroin addict
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Heroin addict fights through emotional first days of rehab
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Life or death: A heroin addict's last day before rehab
How To Get Help
West Virginia in Crisis
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West Virginia distributing 8,000 opioid antidote kits in effort to stem overdoses
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West Virginia AG's past work with drug companies questioned
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DEA targets drug wholesalers to stem opioid epidemic
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West Virginia allows painkiller addicts to sue prescribing doctors
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West Virginia doctor investigated for deaths in opioid epidemic
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Drug distributors under fire in West Virginia painkiller epidemic
Highlights
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Dozens of Ohio overdoses blamed on heroin mixed with elephant tranquilizer
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As U.S. grapples with opioid epidemic, new ways to fight pain and addiction
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Dangerous heroin-fentanyl combination fuels overdoses
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Former FDA head: Opioid epidemic one of "great mistakes of modern medicine"
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Obama: U.S. opioid epidemic as great a threat as terrorism
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Parents refuse to bury truth about son's heroin overdose death
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Littlest victims of America's heroin epidemic
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West Virginia allows painkiller addicts to sue prescribing doctors
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Amid heroin epidemic, a focus on stopping drugs at border
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Heroin epidemic kills at least 23 Ohioans each week
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Heroin in the Heartland
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West Virginia doctor investigated for deaths in opioid epidemic
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Mother of heroin overdose victim earns praise for blunt death notice
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Pregnant heroin addicts seek treatment at Pittsburgh program
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Heroin addict films her own detox
