Opioid overdoses can, and do, happen just about anywhere, from schools to public parks, from homes to workplaces, restaurants, and night clubs. Narcan (naloxone) is a drug that can be used to halt an overdose, and it’s increasingly being used to save lives by people other than police, first responders, or emergency room staff. In fact, the demand for Narcan is such that Walgreens will now be stocking the treatment and selling it over-the-counter at its pharmacies. [More]
drugs
Amazon Customers Surprised To Receive 65 Pounds Of Marijuana They Did Not Order
By 10.23.17
If you’ve recently misplaced a few bricks of marijuana, you may want to talk to Amazon: Customers who ordered a few storage bins were shocked to find their package arrived with a little extra something tucked in — 65 pounds of pot. [More]
FDA Cracking Down On “Rogue Online Pharmacies” Accused Of Illegally Selling Prescription Drugs
By 9.25.17
While you may be tempted to skip the pharmacy and just order prescription drugs online, it could be very dangerous to use any unapproved medications from illicit online pharmacies. That’s why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — along with its international enforcement superfriends — is taking action against hundreds of sites accused of selling prescription drugs illegally online. [More]
Convicted Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli Appears To Be Selling His Rare Wu-Tang Clan Album On eBay
By 9.6.17
Former pharmaceuticals executive, convicted fraudster, enemy of spellcheck, and online troll Martin Shkreli appears to be selling the sole copy of a Wu-Tang Clan album he famously purchased for a reported $2 million in 2015. And in true Pharma Bro fashion, the album isn’t being sold through some fancy auction house, but via eBay. [More]
16 USPS Workers Join Mail Carrier Hall Of Shame For Allegedly Taking Bribes To Deliver Drugs
By 8.31.17
It looks like The Mail Carrier Of Shame may soon have a slew of new members: Federal officials have accused 16 Atlanta-area U.S. Postal Service workers of accepting bribes in exchange for delivering cocaine along their routes. [More]
FDA Issuing Fewest Warning Letters Since 2008
By 8.29.17
The Trump administration has not been shy about its desire to cut regulations, so perhaps it’s not surprising that the Food and Drug Administration could be pulling back on its efforts to hold companies accountable. The FDA has sent out fewer warning letters to date this year than in any year since 2008. If warning letters and enforcement actions are down, does that mean we’re all less safe? [More]
Naloxone Is No Match For Strong Synthetic Opioids
By 8.16.17
As medicine and law enforcement fight different parts of a nationwide battle against the abuse of prescription opioids and the popularity of heroin, they’ve discovered a terrifying effect of new synthetic drugs used to make heroin cheaper and more powerful. People who have taken fentanyl or carfentanil sometimes need multiple doses of the life-saving drug naloxone to be revived, and the drug is expensive. [More]
Feds: Recent NYC Drug Bust Included Enough Fentanyl To Kill Half The City
By 8.9.17
As law enforcement around the country continue to battle the opioid epidemic currently raging in the U.S., federal officials say they’ve made a sizable bust in New York City, seizing enough fentanyl and heroin “to kill half the population” of the Big Apple. [More]
Washington State: Any Trump Administration Crackdown On Marijuana Would Be “Unacceptable”
By 8.4.17
Washington state was one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, and now has quite a bit to lose if the Trump administration chooses to crack down on states with retail pot operations. With U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions hinting that federal intervention may be in the offing, his counterpart in Olympia is drawing a line in the soil, saying that any effort by the White House to interfere with the state’s marijuana regulations would be “unacceptable.” [More]
Maybe We Don’t Need To Take So Many Prescription Drugs
By 8.3.17
Do you take any prescription drugs? If so, you’re in the majority in this country. Drugs are life-saving or life-lengthening interventions most of the time, but can also interact with each other and cause further health problems. [More]
Bill Seeks To Make Marijuana Legal On The Federal Level
By 8.2.17
While there are five states in the U.S. that have legalized recreational marijuana and about 29 others (including D.C.) that allow it for medical purposes, weed is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government. One lawmaker is trying to change that with a new bill that would legalize the drug nationwide. [More]
President’s Commission On Opioid Crisis Says Death Toll Is Like 9/11 Happening Every Three Weeks
By 8.1.17
We hear a lot about the “opioid crisis” or “opioid epidemic,” to the point that people may be tuning out those words and ignoring the seriousness of the situation. That’s why the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis has an urgent recommendation. It wants the President to declare a national emergency. [More]
DOJ Shuts Down Online ‘Dark Market’ Peddling Opioids, Guns, & Hacking Tools
By 7.20.17
The world of criminal marketplaces selling deadly drugs, counterfeit products, malware, and weapons just got a bit smaller: The Department of Justice says it’s shut down AlphaBay, what it calls the largest online “dark market.”
[More]
Some Ford Fusions Come Equipped With Airbags, Seatbelts, & Tire Compartments Full Of Marijuana
By 7.17.17
Imagine buying a new vehicle, running over a nail, and pulling over to exchange the now-deflated tire with the spare kept in your trunk. But once you reach the tire compartment, you don’t find a tire at all, but a large tan package of marijuana. That could have been the case for the eventual owners of 15 Ford Fusion vehicles in Ohio.
[More]
Nevada’s Marijuana Stores Are Running Out Of Drugs And It’s Officially An “Emergency”
By 7.10.17
Days after Nevada became the fifth state in the U.S. to allow recreational marijuana stores, the drug has proved so popular, the state’s governor is pushing for a “statement of emergency” because dispensaries can’t keep up with the demand. [More]
Endo Pharmaceuticals Agrees To Remove Opioid Painkiller Linked To HIV Outbreak From The Market
By 7.7.17
Weeks after the Food and Drug Administration said opioid painkiller Opana ER should be removed from the market amid concerns about the potential for abuse, Endo Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pull the drug, which has been linked to serious outbreaks of HIV and hepatitis C. [More]
Mail Carrier Admits To Taking Bribes To Deliver Drugs Along Her Route
By 7.5.17
The Mail Carrier Hall Of Shame has a new inductee: A USPS worker in Florida has admitted to accepting bribes in exchange for delivering marijuana to a man named “Steve” along her route. [More]
FDA Rejects Plan To Donate Dog Food Potentially Contaminated With Euthanasia Drug
By 7.5.17 — Updated: 7.6.17
Dog food company Evanger’s recently recalled some of its products that had been tainted with the euthanasia drug pentobarbital, resulting in four sick dogs and one death. Rather than throw out all that recalled food, Evanger’s proposed spot-checking it for safety and donating it to animal shelters. However, the Food and Drug Administration has nixed this suggestion. [More]
