health-substance-abuse3.395 min read
"CDC Map Reveals 2023 Drug Death Hotspots in America: Overdoses Rise and Fall in States"
1 year ago•Source: Daily Mail
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6.46 min•1 year ago
"Rising Concern: Deadly Mix of Xylazine and Fentanyl Linked to Florida and Nashville Deaths"
Over 260 people in Florida died from accidental overdoses involving xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer used to sedate horses, often mixed with fentanyl and cocaine. Xylazine complicates opioid overdoses, making it harder to save people as it doesn't respond to the overdose reversal drug naloxone. Lawmakers have taken action to classify xylazine as a scheduled substance, and the White House designated the combination of fentanyl and xylazine as an emerging drug threat. The spread of xylazine into the illicit drug supply remains a mystery, and health officials are also grappling with the link between chronic xylazine use and mysterious open wounds.
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"Rising Trend: Smoking Overtakes Injection in Drug Overdose Deaths, US Study Reveals"
The Associated Press•1 year ago
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"US Study: Smoking Drugs Linked to Higher Mortality Rate Than Injection"
ABC News•1 year ago
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"Analyzing Drug Overdose Death Trends in the US: 2020-2022"
A report by the CDC shows a significant increase in drug overdose deaths involving smoking and a decrease in deaths involving injection from January 2020 to December 2022, with smoking becoming the most common route of drug use. This shift is observed across all U.S. regions and is particularly pronounced in deaths involving illegally manufactured fentanyls (IMFs). The findings highlight the need to strengthen public health and harm reduction services to address overdose risk associated with diverse routes of drug use, including smoking, in order to reduce drug overdose deaths.
"Kush Epidemic: Synthetic Drug Devastates Sierra Leone"
In Sierra Leone, the synthetic drug kush, a potent and unpredictable form of synthetic cannabinoid, has become widespread, particularly among unemployed youth seeking an escape from poverty. The drug, often cut with harmful additives, is easily accessible and cheap, leading to devastating consequences such as addiction, health issues, and social disintegration. The country's limited resources and infrastructure for drug enforcement and rehabilitation are struggling to address the crisis, with concerns that the epidemic may spread to neighboring countries.
Rising Use of Xylazine Sparks Concern in Multiple States
The use of xylazine, also known as "tranq," is increasing in Connecticut, with the tranquilizer being mixed into drugs like fentanyl and heroin, leading to a rise in overdose deaths. At least 260 overdose deaths in the state involved xylazine, and its presence has been found in more than half of the drugs tested at the Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance. The drug's non-opioid nature makes it difficult to reverse its effects with Narcan, posing challenges for treating opioid use disorder. The harm reduction community emphasizes the availability of help for those in need.