opioid-abuse
Senate approves York Co. lawmaker’s bill expanding access to opioid anti-overdose drugs
The state Senate on Wednesday gave its unanimous approval to legislation allowing first-responders, including EMS workers, to leave a dose of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone or a comparable treatment with a caregiver for someone who has overdosed. The bill was one of two sponsored by state Sen. Kristin Phillips Hill, R-York, that sailed through the […]
Gov. Wolf renews Pa.’s opioid disaster declaration for the sixth time
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday renewed Pennsylvania’s opioid disaster declaration for the sixth time, giving the state more leeway to combat the addiction crisis. The Democrat signed the first 90-day declaration in January 2018. Since then, according to Wolf’s office, Pennsylvania has: “Removed about 285 tons of prescription drugs from our streets through take-back boxes; […]
New data shows Pa. doctors are writing far fewer opioid prescriptions | The Numbers Racket
Pennsylvania physicians have written fewer opioid prescriptions for five straight years and have seen the fifth largest percentage drop nationally, new national data shows.
The fight over opioids isn’t going away – but these 2 bills are encouraging | Wednesday Morning Coffee
The bills approved by a pair of Senate committees are forward motion at least
Video: Gov. Tom Wolf learns how to administer the overdose-reversal drug naloxone
Wolf demonstrated how simple it is to administer Narcan through a person's (or, on Wednesday, a dummy's) nostril. But there's still a stigma attached to carrying the medication, the governor said.
Pa. Attorney General Shapiro sues Purdue Pharma for ‘deceptive’ tactics selling OxyContin
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro took the fight against opioid abuse to one of the nation’s biggest pharmaceutical manufacturers Tuesday, charging that Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, conducted a “relentless campaign of deception” that led to the deaths of 26,300 Pennsylvanians in less than a decade. The multimillion-dollar lawsuit, filed in Commonwealth Court, […]
This is what opioid abuse in Pennsylvania looks like | The Numbers Racket
From the courthouse to the halls of state government -- and seemingly everywhere in-between -- Pennsylvania has made fighting the scourge of opioid abuse a priority over the last few years.
In speech to new U.S. governors, Gov. Tom Wolf shares Pa.’s experience fighting opioid abuse
In a speech to governors from 33 states and territories, Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf said fighting opioid abuse cuts across party lines.
Pa.’s Pat Toomey teams with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on fentanyl bill
The bill would get tough on fentanyl imports and manufacturing from China.
Opioid crisis shows partnering with industry can be bad for public health | Opinion
The interests of pharmaceutical companies and public health are not the same. Industry dollars can distort research agendas, while framing health challenges and solutions in ways that benefit corporations.
State Sen. Mike Regan wants tough mandatory sentences for fentanyl dealers. Opponents say it’s a ‘step back’ in the failed ‘War on Drugs’
It’s been four years since the state Supreme Court invalidated the state’s mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, wiping them all from state statues in a 3-2 ruling. The decision conformed with broader criminal justice reforms sweeping the nation, which sought to remedy the harsh sentencing laws and high incarceration rates that proliferated during the […]
This is why Pa. needs tougher mandatory sentences to fight fentanyl abuse | Opinion
It is time we take serious action to get not only the dealers but the actual fentanyl off our streets.