Drug Overdoses

Some spring break travelers may take drugs, not realizing they're contaminated with the deadly opioid fentanyl. Advocates hope equipping more people with Narcan will save lives.

Illegal supplies of fentanyl are being cut with xylazine, a powerful horse tranquilizer. Overdoses involving this veterinary sedative are growing nationally and now Florida officials are tracking the deaths.

The researchers found that between 2020 and 2022, the percentage of overdose deaths with evidence of smoking rose 74%. Meanwhile, the percentage of deaths with evidence of injection fell 29%.

As national distributors and pharmacies restricted the flow of painkillers in response to the opioid crisis, Publix did the opposite, according to a Tampa Bay Times/KFF Health News data analysis.

Fentanyl fueled unprecedented carnage with 112,000 fatal overdoses. The nation is increasingly divided over how to respond.

Preliminary 2022 CDC data shows a 2.8% decrease in Florida overdose deaths from 2021 to 2022. The CDC told PolitiFact that Florida had 7,827 overdose deaths in 2021 compared with 7,611 in 2022. The final 2022 mortality data won’t be available until early next year.

Jason Mariner, who lost a special election in January 2022 to replace incumbent Rep. Alcee Hastings, died of a fentanyl and cocaine overdose after relapsing into using drugs.

The prevalence of synthetic drugs is undercutting a previously effective and widely embraced treatment tactic. Now, the model pioneered in Vermont a decade ago and adopted nationwide is being forced to evolve.

For the first time in 10 years, Central Florida counties saw a decrease in opioid overdose deaths.

Colorado is among several states that ensure schools have access to naloxone for free or at reduced cost. But most districts hadn’t signed up by the start of the school year for a state distribution program.

Law enforcement officials say they are cracking down on people who sell fentanyl. Despite those efforts, overdose deaths remain high.

Pinellas County opioid deaths are being addressed through CORE, an initiative being slowly rolled out across the state.