Teachers learn to administer Narcan amid opioid crisis

Fatal overdoses in teens ages 14 to 18 jumped 123% from 2019 to 2021, according to data from the CDC.

• Mar 2, 2023

Opioid crisis settlements total over $50 billion. How is that money being used?

Advocates say they hope to see the money spent on evidence-based treatment options, including overdose prevention centers.

• Mar 1, 2023

Canada province decriminalizes hard drugs in bid to ease opioid crisis

Adults found with small amounts of cocaine, heroin and other drugs will get information on addiction treatment rather than jail time.

• Jan 31, 2023

Luthiery School stringing lives back together

Nestled in eastern Kentucky is the town of Hindman, one of the cities in America most hard-hit by the opioid epidemic. But there's a new program that's rebuilding the city's reputation through music. CBS News senior national correspondent Mark Strassmann visited the Appalachian School of Luthiery to learn about the community that's changing for the better with the help of some string instruments.

• Jan 17, 2023
• 6:26

Colorado man with nearly 6,000 fentanyl pills sentenced to 40 years

The 27-year-old sold some of the fentanyl to undercover officers last year.

• Jan 2, 2023

DOJ sues pharma giant for allegedly helping to fuel the opioid epidemic

The company is accused of failing to report hundreds of thousands of potentially suspicious orders.

• Dec 29, 2022

DEA cracks down on social media fentanyl sales

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who oversees the Drug Enforcement Administration, says fentanyl is the agency's top priority as tens of thousands of Americans die from the drug. She's calling on social media companies to crack down on sales through their platforms. Norah O'Donnell reports.

• Dec 14, 2022
• 2:28

FDA takes steps to authorize some naloxone products for over-the-counter sale

Most of the United States' more than 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021 involved opioids.

• Nov 15, 2022

Walmart agrees to $3.1 billion settlement over opioid lawsuits

The focus is now on how settlement dollars will be used and whether they can curtail overdose deaths.

• Nov 15, 2022

CVS Health agrees to $5 billion settlement of opioid lawsuits

Deal would make it the first major pharmacy chain to reach a nationwide settlement over its handling of opioid prescriptions.

• Nov 2, 2022

Opium production increases 32% in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

The Taliban has banned all drug production and insists the report is "not true," but with people starving, the U.N. says "Afghan farmers are trapped in the illicit opiate economy."

• Nov 1, 2022

Fentanyl crisis plagues L.A. schools; major busts reported in Arizona, Colorado

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the nation, at least seven students have overdosed on possible fentanyl-laced pills in just the past month.

• Sep 24, 2022

Supreme Court ruling could help doctors escape opioid charges

A recent Supreme Court ruling has raised the bar to convict doctors accused of fueling the opioid crisis.

• Sep 19, 2022

DEA warns of brightly-colored fentanyl being used to lure youth

What is often called "rainbow fentanyl" has been seized by law enforcement agencies in 18 states just this month, the DEA reports.

• Aug 30, 2022

Walgreens contributed to San Francisco opioid crisis, judge rules

A federal judge ruled the pharmacy chain over-dispensed them for years without proper oversight and didn't identify and report suspicious orders as required by law.

• Aug 11, 2022

Deadliest states for drug overdoses

CDC data reveals which U.S. state has the highest rate of drug overdose-related deaths per 100,000 residents.

• Aug 2, 2022
• 51 photos

Teva reaches $4.25 billion settlement over alleged role in opioid crisis

The settlement includes supplying up to $1.2 billion in Narcan, a nasal spray​ used to reverse opioid overdoses.

• Jul 26, 2022

Justice Dept charges 12 medical professionals for fueling opioid epidemic

A 24-year-old patient died from a morphine overdose after a dentist allegedly wrote three opioid prescriptions for the patient in five days.

• May 5, 2022

More than 92 pounds of fentanyl seized in California

The amount of the synthetic opioid seized is equivalent to 42 kilograms.

• Apr 23, 2022

"Frankenstein opioids" becoming more prevalent, Ohio official warns

The drugs called nitazenes are not approved for medical use anywhere in the world.

• Apr 20, 2022

McKinsey used its FDA work to consult with opioid makers: Report

The New York-based consulting firm had a "serious conflict of interest" with the arrangement, a congressional report found.

• Apr 13, 2022

Biden offers "Unity Agenda" for the U.S.

President Biden offered a "Unity Agenda" during his State of the Union address, highlighting issues that cross partisan lines such as supporting mental health, helping veterans, beating the opioid epidemic and developing cures for cancer. Watch that portion of his remarks here.

• Mar 1, 2022
• 8:27

Experimental vaccine may block effects of opioids

An experimental vaccine could help fight the nation's opioid epidemic. Nearly 1 million Americans have died from drug overdoses in the last two decades, with more than 70% of them involving opioids. Dr. Jon LaPook takes a look.

• Jan 12, 2022
• 2:10

An experimental vaccine could help fight the opioid epidemic

If it works against oxycodone, researchers hope to target other opioids, including fentanyl and heroin.

• Jan 12, 2022

NY jury finds opioid manufacturer liable

In a unique and landmark case, a New York jury has found Teva Pharmaceuticals responsible for contributing to the state's opioid crisis. Teva will now face another trial to determine how much money it owes the state. Jamie Yuccas has the latest.

• Dec 31, 2021
• 0:38

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