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Opioids In The News

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 Local News 

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October 11, 2022

FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- Chrisa Cornejo is mourning the death of her 17-year-old daughter, Trinity Cornejo.

Fullerton police have not confirmed with Eyewitness News that Trinity had a fentanyl overdose, and there is no autopsy report available yet. However, her mother believes fentanyl is behind her daughter's death.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

September 12, 2022

Salinas, Calf.- The Salinas Valley Memorial HealthCare System held a Walk with the Doc event, Saturday Morning. The focus of the walk was to let people know about the dangers of fentanyl...

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

September 02, 2022

Drug overdoses are a growing epidemic nationwide and San Benito County residents are experiencing it first hand. 

Overdoses have spiked in the county the last year. Emergency Services of San Benito County reported 48 overdose calls in 2021. As of Aug. 14, ambulance personnel have responded to 42 calls for overdose, EMS Manager Kris Mangano said...

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

August 29, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Dept. of Justice is warning of a rise in what's called rainbow fentanyl- a brightly colored version of the synthetic opioid that dealers are using to target teens and young adults...

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

August 02, 2022

The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office announced it made an arrest for possession of a firearm, suspected methamphetamine, suspected cocaine and fentanyl. The Sheriff’s Office did not identified the person who was arrested...

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

July 31, 2022

Hundreds of fentanyl pills have been seized by the San Benito County Sheriff's Department.

On Saturday at 2:30 a.m. Sergeant Mull and Deputy Zanella checked on a vehicle near the front entrance of the Monterey RV Park located at 1400 Hwy 101...

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

July 30, 2022

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) Both the Santa Cruz Police Department and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office report several recent overdoses and some may be linked to marijuana laced with Fentanyl...

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

July 20, 2022

SAN JOSE — San Jose’s top cop and his second-in-command were flagged down this week by a woman reporting that her boyfriend had taken a drug and was not responsive, and an officer is believed to have saved the man’s life, police said...

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

July 11, 2022

The Monterey Police Department has reported finding rainbow-colored fentanyl. Two people were arrested in possession of the multi-colored fentanyl in the city....

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 30, 2022

Eric Taylor was successful in securing his job as sheriff-coroner in the June 7 election by winning 65.7% of votes cast in the race. His opponent, Juan Guevara, received 34.3% of the vote. He was appointed by the Board of Supervisors in 2021 following sheriff Darren Thompson’s retirement...

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 29, 2022

The growing opioid crisis on the Central Coast was highlighted Monday night after Hollister police responded to two opioid overdoses in the same night.

Fortunately, both people survived after police administered six doses of Narcan, the nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 13 2022

On June 11, about 40 people attended the Fentanyl Awareness & Prevention event at the Veterans Memorial Building in Hollister. San Benito County Behavioral Health Department organized the gathering, which featured 14 booths hosted by organizations sharing informational resources covering health topics, abuse prevention, education and youth services...

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

February 21, 2022

Hollister Police were busy Feb. 17-18 responding to numerous high-priority calls, including a violent robbery involving a juvenile victim, a fentanyl overdose and a stolen trailer that resulted in an arrest.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

January 27, 2022

The California Highway Patrol is calling it the largest fentanyl bust in Central Valley history.

On Jan. 21, officers with the patrol's Merced unit confiscated a massive drug haul — 75 pounds of counterfeit Oxycodone pills believed to contain fentanyl with a street value worth an estimated $3 million, a statement from CHP said

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

January 26, 2022

A drug dealer has been charged with the murder of a 12-year-old San Jose girl who fatally overdosed on fentanyl.

The 16-year-old San Jose charged minor sold the drug to the girl in 2020. She died shortly after consuming three-quarters of a single pill. Jane Doe became the youngest person to fatally overdose in the county in 2020.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

January 25, 2022

On Tuesday the Salinas Police Department released information on the latest results from their Violence Suppression Task Force, a specialized unit tasked focusing on uncovering gang activity.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

December 22, 2021

San Benito County is reporting a spike in drug overdoses likely linked to counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.  From January 1, 2021 to today, there have been 36 individuals requiring naloxone administration by Emergency Medical Services.  Of the 36 reported cases, 17 have occurred in the last three months, which is very concerning.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

October 6, 2021

Overdoses continuing to rise, some bay area venues are providing fentanyl testing strips to patrons and the public for free. 

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

September 16, 2021

More than $1 million dollars worth of illegal drugs are now off the streets in Monterey County, thanks to a multi-agency effort led by the Salinas Police Department.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

August 24, 2021

Along with our neighboring counties Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Clara, as well as across California, is witnessing a significant spike in the number of drug-related overdoses and deaths in recent months. There have been 18 overdoses to date for 2021, as compared to 38 in 2020 and 23 in 2019.  These overdoses represent overdose calls resulting in administration of Narcan® by first responders.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

August 13, 2021

San Jose had recently seen a spike in deaths due to individuals being sold methamphetamine that the users did not know contained fentanyl. 

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

August 2, 2021

Santa Cruz Police said they responded to the encampment at East Levee Monday morning for the latest overdose. Of the 14 overdoses, there have been two deaths.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

August 2, 2021

"In April 2020, shortly after shelter-in-place took effect, drug-related overdose cases fell at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula to less than half than before the pandemic began, from over 40 per month to only 17, says Reb Close, a CHOMP emergency room physician and co-founder of Prescribe Safe Monterey County. In summer, the numbers jumped back up to pre-pandemic levels and since January, they’ve steadily increased. “It’s just been really getting out of hand,” Close says."

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 1, 2021

For at least the second time in less than a month, police delivered the Narcan medication to a San Benito County resident June 1 who had just suffered a drug overdose, according to authorities.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

May 24, 2021

The increase mirrors a surge in drug overdoses in California and around the country during the pandemic. What’s notable about the victims in Santa Clara County is their youth. One was a 12-year-old girl.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

October 8, 2020

A Monterey County man is in custody and charged by a federal grand jury for a 2019 deadly fentanyl overdose and the intent to distribute the drug, according to a U.S. Department of Justice release.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

August 24, 2020

The scene still plays over and over in her head: Walking into a Santa Rosa home and finding her 1-year-old son dead next to his unconscious father. Sitting nearby on a piece of foil was the killer – the powerful narcotic fentanyl.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

August 19, 2020

The Central Valley is seeing an increase in counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl and causing a surge overdoses and deaths. 

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

August 3, 2020

Two Monterey County doctors, Dr. Eric Jacobson and Dr. Paul Tocchet, are facing accusations of negligence and petitions to revoke their medical licenses by the California Medical Board

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

July 21, 2020

A kilo of heroin with a street value of at least $80,000 and an illegal short barreled assault rifle was seized by Watsonville police.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

July 14, 2020

San Benito County is not exempt to the high use of pain medications. Although there has been a significant decrease in pain medication prescriptions in the past two years, in part due to the awareness campaigns by the San Benito County Opioid Task Force, there are still approximately 25,650 opioid prescriptions made annually to residents of this county, according to the California Department of Public Health Opioid Dashboard

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 23, 2020

A 19-year-old Seaside man has been arrested and charged with selling a counterfeit street drug laced with Fentanyl that killed a Carmel Valley man last month and the arrest coming just months after another 19-year-old was accused of selling a similar drug that took the life of a 16-year-old girl in Seaside.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 18, 2020

Hollister is a community where everyone somehow knows each other. Some of the people we can recognize by driving through town are neighbors, coworkers, family and friends. Once in a while, you become familiar with the local residents who may be under the influence, and a bit distracting on the side of the road. It can be hard to imagine how someone like that can recover from being in such a terrible situation. However, one of these people who came to be known for her singing in the street, looking disheveled, being homeless and walking around town with a balloon has proven that recovery is possible.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 17, 2020

Early in the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, staff at San Benito County Behavioral Health began to move essential services to telecommute outlets. When the shelter-in-place order came from the Board of Supervisors in mid-March, Behavioral Health was able to continue to provide care without in-person visits.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 5, 2020

Sun Street Centers announces it has reopened the doors to its Women’s Residential and Perinatal Recovery Program in Hollister, CA on June 8, 2020. This state-licensed recovery program located in Downtown Hollister provides a supportive environment for single women and women with small children seeking a life free from the devastating effects of drug and alcohol addiction.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

February 8, 2020

Opioid-related overdoes and deaths continue to be a problem across California and the country. San Benito health and law enforcement leaders spent Saturday getting the message out about these dangerous drugs and how to help with drug abuse.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

January 21, 2020

San Benito County Public Health Services invites the community to meet health care providers and state government representatives to discuss the local opioid crisis.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

November, 5, 2019

To fight back against the epidemic, the San Benito Opioid Task Force is focusing on educating teenagers about the dangers of taking recreational pills, especially when they’ve been bought off the street.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

October, 23, 2019

Since the uptick in overdose deaths from both opioids and stimulants such as methamphetamine, their work is becoming even more important.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

October 22, 2019

It is believed fentanyl has been laced in counterfeit prescription narcotics that are being sold in our community. Multiple agencies are asking you to please not take any medication that hasn't come from your doctor and pharmacist.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

October 22, 2019

San Benito County Sheriff's Office put out a warning of increase in opioid overdoses due to counterfeit pills containing the potent drug, fentanyl.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

October 16, 2019

The program enables their ER to treat anyone who is experiencing withdrawal from opioids or anyone who needs support quitting.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

October 9, 2019

There are treatments that work, but rehab facilities don't have to use them. A Gilroy family learned that the hard way.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

July 24, 2019

The Hollister Police Department & Hollister Fire Department revived a man after he was found not breathing from a suspected opioid overdose. Made possible by training from SBC Opioid Task Force members and provided with Narcan 

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

July 18, 2019

Since 1968, Sun Street Centers has worked to treat patients with alcohol and drug addiction. On July 12, Sun Street Centers received a renewed, three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF International). This is the third time Sun Street Centers has received this accreditation in the past 10 years.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 3, 2019

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The San Benito County Opioid Task Force has been diligently working to address the opioid epidemic locally since its formation in late 2017. The Task Force has recently made significant strides which will help further accelerate efforts to combat local opioid issues through increased services, prevention efforts, and selection for grant funding.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

April 7, 2019

A 23-year-old man was arrested Saturday morning at a Watsonville home after a police dog sniffed out 138 grams of heroin hidden under a floorboard and officers discovered four firearms, including an assault rifle. Andy Viorato-Briseno, of Watsonville, was taken into custody on suspicion of possession of narcotics while armed and possession of a controlled substance for sales.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

January 14, 2019

The fentanyl drug overdose crisis that first erupted back east has come to Fresno County in a case where a Fresno man died of an overdose, Sheriff Margaret Mims said Monday.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

January 12, 2019

One person has died and four are in critical condition after a mass drug overdose at a house in Chico, Calif. A total of 12 people were taken to the hospital.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

October 23, 2018

San Benito County Opioid Task Force updated the San Benito County Board of Supervisors on its achievements since its establishment 1 year ago and launched its website live from the meeting.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

June 26, 2018

2 individuals lives have been saved in San Benito County by Naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, made possible by a grant secured by Public Health Services and Emergency Services

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

May 19, 2018

San Benito County Public Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel discusses joining in on the lawsuit versus pharmacy giants.

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17-year-old Fullerton girl dies from accidental fentanyl overdose, mother says

May 18, 2018

San Benito County joins more than 30 counties in California to file legal action against pharmaceutical companies over the opioid epidemic.

National News

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October 11, 2022

FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- Chrisa Cornejo is mourning the death of her 17-year-old daughter, Trinity Cornejo.

Fullerton police have not confirmed with Eyewitness News that Trinity had a fentanyl overdose, and there is no autopsy report available yet. However, her mother believes fentanyl is behind her daughter's death...

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October 05, 2022

CNN — 

Federal authorities have accused a New Jersey woman of concealing approximately 15,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills in a Lego box as part of a drug trafficking scheme, in what US Drug Enforcement Administration authorities said in a news release is the largest seizure of the drug in New York City history...

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September 28, 2022

Twenty-year-old Charlie told "Nightline" that he's lucky to be alive after he nearly became one of the thousands of people across the country who lost their lives to fentanyl...

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September 22, 2022

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) this week warned school leaders about a new and potentially fatal drug “rainbow fentanyl,” that may interest youth. In a letter to superintendents and charter school administrators, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Tomás J. Aragón warned that "rainbow fentanyl" is a potentially fatal drug found in pills and powders in a variety of bright colors, shapes and sizes that could attract young people...

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September 21, 2022

Fentanyl (an extremely potent and dangerous synthetic opioid) continues to be a major contributor to drug overdoses in California, including among youth [1]. According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard [2]:

  • Emergency department visits related to non-fatal opioid overdoses in California's youth ages 10-19 years more than tripled from 2018 (379 total) to 2020 (1,222 total).

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August 30, 2022

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration is advising the public of an alarming emerging trend of colorful fentanyl available across the United States.  In August 2022, DEA and our law enforcement partners seized brightly-colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills in 18 states.  Dubbed “rainbow fentanyl” in the media, this trend appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl made to look like candy to children and young people...

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August 22, 2022

(CNN)The US Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning Tuesday about "brightly-colored fentanyl used to target young Americans."..

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August 22, 2022

(CNN)-Rapper Fetty Wap has pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, according to the prosecutor's office...

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August 22, 2022

(CNN)Australian Federal Police say they've seized more than 5 million doses of fentanyl, the largest shipment of the opioid the country has ever seen...

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August 20, 2022

(CNN)Eighty-five suspects were arrested and over $12.8 million in drugs were confiscated in a two-year undercover drug trafficking investigation, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said on Friday...

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August 17, 2022

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered three of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains — CVS, Walgreens and Walmart — to pay $650.5 million to two Ohio counties, ruling that the companies must be held accountable for their part in fueling the opioid epidemic...( free subscription with a free library card from San Benito County Free Library https://sbcfl.org/)

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August 15, 2022

(KHN)LIVINGSTON, Mont. — Shannan Piccolo walked into a hotel with a tote bag full of Narcan and a speech about how easy it is to use the medicine that can reverse opioid overdoses...

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August 07, 2022

(CNN)US Customs and Border Protection has seized a shipment of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl hidden in pill bottles that was strong enough to potentially provide lethal doses to tens of thousands of people, the agency said...

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July 29, 2022

If finalized, the agreement, along with a companion deal reached by Teva earlier this week, would send as much as $6.6 billion to communities harmed by the opioid epidemic... ( free subscription with a free library card from San Benito County Free Library https://sbcfl.org/)

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July 27, 2022

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The place where Chris gets his fentanyl is bright and airy, all blond wood and exposed brick. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the potency of the pills he can crush, cook and inject...

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July 26, 2022

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries on Tuesday announced a $4.35 billion proposed nationwide settlement that could resolve thousands of lawsuits over the drugmaker's alleged role in the US opioid epidemic...

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July 20, 2022

US Border Patrol agents arrested a man allegedly attempting to smuggle approximately 250 pounds of fentanyl in his truck's spare tire and gas tank near the Mexican-California border Monday, the agency said...

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July 2, 2022

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized over $1.1 million worth of narcotics hidden in the panels of a car driving into California from Mexico, the agency said..

CNN News

June 8, 2022

US Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted about $339,300 worth of suspected fentanyl at the Hidalgo International Bridge in Texas this week, according to a CBP news release.

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February 22, 2022

The trial of former Los Angeles Angels communications director Eric Kay, which ended last week with the jury finding him guilty of giving pitcher Tyler Skaggs the fentanyl-laced oxycodone that led to his death, at times seemed to spill secrets about a drug scourge in Major League Baseball clubhouses.

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January 30, 2021

Police recovered about 100 bags of fentanyl from the bedroom of a 13-year-old who died after a presumed fentanyl exposure at his school in Hartford, Connecticut.

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January 29, 2021

A 19-year-old Fresno man is heading to prison for three years for selling oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to a Bullard High School student. Fabian Garcia-Palacio was sentenced in federal court on Friday for illegally distributing fentanyl to a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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December 17, 2021

Programs in the city provide popular venues like bars and restaurants with the life saving medication, naloxone. Providing assistance to the employees and owners through education, training, and providing the medication, naloxone for free. 

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November 20, 2021

Overdose deaths has sharply risen and shows the devastating consequences of the spread of fentanyl, less is understood how the drug has taken over.

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October 17, 2021

Former hockey player for the Bruins Jimmy Hayes was found dead on August 23, 2021 with fentanyl and cocaine. His sudden death came as a surprise to his family. Now they are speaking out about this accidental overdose to hope in preventing more lives lost to a similar situation. 

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October 23, 2021

Read about the impacts of fentanyl throughout the United States. This article begins by listing celebrities who have been impacted or unfortunately passed away due to fentanyl during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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September 11, 2021

Stories of accidental overdose deaths have been increasing this Op-Ed dives into the reasons why fentanyl is creating this increase in overdose deaths and how they can be prevented. 

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September 11, 2021

Ryan Hampton writes about the bankruptcy case against Purdue Pharma and how it positively impacts the Sackler Family who has owned and operated Purdue Pharma the pharmaceutical company that helped to fuel the opioid crisis in the United States.  

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September 9, 2021

Comedian Kate Quigley is speaking out as she recovers following a suspected accidental fentanyl overdose that killed three people, including fellow comedians Fuquan Johnson and Enrico Colangeli, over the weekend.

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April 15, 2021

Overdoses deaths have continued to rise and be more prevalent than in 2020. 

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August 31, 2020

The rate of opioid overdoses, already an epidemic in the US, have continued to trend up and the way to combat more deaths is by widespread distribution and availability of the opioid reversing medication, Naloxone.  

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September 1, 2020

A year after he died, the Angels pitcher's widow and mother open up on his death and how they're coming to terms with what happened and why. 

Grabbing Pills

August 17, 2020

U.S. states claimed they are owed $2.2 trillion to address harm from OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP’s alleged role in America’s opioid epidemic, accusing the drugmaker in new filings of pushing prescription painkillers on doctors and patients while playing down the risks of abuse and overdose.

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August 7, 2020

Eric Kay, a former Angels public relations employee, was charged by federal authorities in Texas with distributing fentanyl.

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July 28, 2020

Drug overdose cases and deaths are on the rise in dozens of states, and authorities in one Florida county say they believe the coronavirus pandemic is a contributing factor to the sudden increase.

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July 22, 2020

The billionaire Sacklers who own Purdue Pharma, maker of the OxyContin painkiller that helped fuel America’s opioid epidemic, are among America’s richest families. And if they have their way, the federal court handling Purdue’s bankruptcy case will help them hold on to their wealth by releasing them from liability for the ravages caused by OxyContin.

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Doctors And Dentists Still Flooding U.S. With Opioid Prescriptions

July 17, 2020

Despite widespread devastation caused by America's opioid epidemic, an investigation by NPR found that doctors and other health care providers still prescribe highly addictive pain medications at rates widely considered unsafe.

Public data, including new government studies and reports in medical literature, shows enough prescriptions are being written each year for half of all Americans to have one. 

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‘Cries for help’: Drug overdoses are soaring during the coronavirus pandemic

July 1, 2020

Suspected overdoses nationally jumped 18 percent in March, 29 percent in April and 42 percent in May, data from ambulance teams, hospitals and police shows.

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I walked out of rehab and into a pandemic...

Apr 21, 2020

Once discharged, I realized how the beginning of my sobriety would go: no hugs from friends and family, no AA meetings in church basements, no dinners at my favorite restaurants. These things I had clung onto as bright spots as I faced my life after rehab were now gone. 

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The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Made The Opioid Epidemic Even Worse

March 27, 2020

The US was already grappling with an epidemic of opioid overdoses. People in recovery say the coronavirus outbreak has made getting treatment a nightmare.

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Opioid Addiction Is 'A Disease Of Isolation,' So Pandemic Puts Recovery At Risk

March 27, 2020

Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, helps many people addicted to opioids wean themselves from an escalating drug habit. But counseling and social support are key to successful treatment, too, experts say.

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For Drug Users, COVID-19 Poses Added Dangers

April 2, 2020

The National Institute on Drug Abuse director warns the coronavirus could increase the pressure to use, cause complicated health effects and curtail access to treatment for those struggling with addiction.

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Pharmaceutical Executive John Kapoor Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison In Opioid Trial

January 23, 2020

Former billionaire and pharmaceutical executive John Kapoor has been sentenced to five years and six months in prison. His sentencing is the culmination of a months-long criminal trial in Boston's Moakley U.S. Courthouse that resulted in the first successful prosecution of pharmaceutical executives tied to the opioid epidemic.

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Benzodiazepines might be a 'hidden element' of the US' overdose epidemic -- and doctor visits for prescriptions are increasing

January 20, 2020

Doctors have been increasingly prescribing benzodiazepines, also known as "benzos," in recent years. Looking at data from 2014 to 2016, new research found this class of central nervous system depressants was prescribed at about 65.9 million office-based doctor visits. That's a rate of 27 annual visits per 100 adults.

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In Rural Areas Without Pain Or Addiction Specialists, Family Doctors Fill In The Gaps

December 30, 2019

This story follows Dr. Angela Gatzke-Plamann a family practice doctor who was confronted with the opioid crisis locally and is an example of what many rural areas in the US are having to do with limited pain and addiction services and instead take on themselves. 

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How the opioid epidemic evolved

December 23, 2019

A new analysis of overdose data shows when and where the three waves of drugs took hold.

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A New Drug Scourge: Deaths Involving Meth Are Rising Fast

December 17, 2019

Today’s meth is far more potent than earlier versions, but because it isn’t an opioid, many federal addiction treatment funds can’t be used to fight it.

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Fentanyl As A Dark Web Profit Center, From Chinese Labs To U.S. Streets

September 4, 2019

Ben Westhoff, says fentanyl is now killing more Americans annually than any other drug in American history. Dealers are adding fentanyl to heroin and other drugs, and users often have no idea they're getting it or how much they may be using.

Judge's Table

Opioid trial judge could deliver biggest judgment in US history

August 26, 2019

The judge presiding over the historic Oklahoma opioid trial will deliver his ruling Monday afternoon -- a decision that could have sweeping implications as other states and communities try to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid epidemic.

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Who's responsible for the opioid epidemic? Doctors or pharmaceutical companies?

August 25, 2019

Dr. Barry Schultz is serving 157 years in prison after he prescribed enough opioids for a prosecutor to call him one of Florida's "most notorious drug dealers." In this "60 Minutes" interview, Schultz says he's a scapegoat.

Riding on a Highway

Motorcycle Crash Shows Bioethicist The Dark Side Of Quitting Opioids Alone

July 8, 2019

Travis Rieder, author of In Pain: A Bioethicist's Personal Struggle With Opioids, says none of the doctors who prescribed opioids for his waves of "fiery" pain taught him how to safely taper his use of the drugs when he wanted to quit.

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76 billion opioid pills: Newly released federal data unmasks the epidemic

June 3, 2019

America’s largest drug companies saturated the country with 76 billion oxycodone and hydrocodone pain pills from 2006 through 2012 as the nation’s deadliest drug epidemic spun out of control, according to previously undisclosed company data released as part of the largest civil action in U.S. history

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Insys, the Opioid Drug Maker, to Pay $225 Million to Settle Fraud Charges

June 5, 2019

The opioid manufacturer Insys Therapeutics agreed to pay $225 million to settle federal criminal and civil charges that it illegally marketed a highly addictive fentanyl painkiller to doctors, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

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Case against Ohio doctor charged with killing 25 patients may hinge on former colleagues

June 6, 2019

One of the largest murder cases in Ohio history, involving a doctor accused of killing 25 patients, will hinge on his colleagues' cooperation and what they can offer up at trial, legal experts say. And what those former co-workers reveal may help shed light on something that has so far eluded investigators: a motive.

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Fighting Fentanyl

May 22, 2019

Washington Post provides a thorough examinination of America’s deadliest drug epidemic.

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Why a Drug Company in N.Y. Was Charged Over Opioids

April 24, 2019

The United States attorney’s office in Manhattan accused Rochester Drug Cooperative of conspiring to distribute drugs and defraud the federal government. The company sold 143 million oxycodone pills in New York State between 2010 and 2018, the state says

Election Campaign

Majority Of Americans Say Drug Companies Should Be Held Responsible For Opioid Crisis

April 25, 2019

A new poll by NPR and Ipsos finds a third of Americans have been touched directly by the deadly opioid epidemic that still kills more than 100 people every day. "One in three have been personally affected in some way, either by knowing someone who has overdosed or by knowing someone with an opioid addiction," said Mallory Newall, lead Ipsos researcher on the survey.

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Opioid epidemic: Fight addiction and chronic pain together to save lives

April 25, 2019

More than 20 years after the first uptick in opioid overdose deaths in the United States, two groups are pitted in a bitter tug of war around the causes of, and solutions to, the opioid epidemic. On one side are people pointing to overprescribing as the reason tens of thousands of Americans die each year from opioid overdose. On the other side are people concerned that efforts to constrain overprescribing are hurting Americans living with chronic pain.

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California drug experts warn of Carfentanil, a drug 100 times more potent than Fentanyl

April 12, 2019

Drug enforcement experts in San Diego are warning about a new, deadlier opioid on the streets -- Carfentanil.

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Authorities nab $1.5M worth of fentanyl during traffic stop

April 11, 2019

Seizures of large quantities of fentanyl, a powerful and frequently deadly synthetic opioid, have become increasingly common in the San Diego area.  

A woman and her boyfriend were behind bars today after allegedly being caught transporting more than 20 kilograms of powdered fentanyl -- an illicit drug haul valued at $1.5 million -- on an Otay Mesa freeway.

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FDA Identifies Harm Reported from Sudden Discontinuation of Opioid Pain Medicines and Requires Label Changes to Guide Prescribers on Gradual, Individualized Tapering

April 9, 2019

These changes will provide expanded guidance to health care professionals on how to safely decrease the dose in patients who are physically dependent on opioid pain medicines when the dose is to be decreased or the medicine is to be discontinued.

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With Fentanyl Deaths On the Rise Nationally, California Is Taking Precautions

March 26, 2019

Deaths from a synthetic opioid called fentanyl have been on the rise nationally, and last week’s findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show this could be the third wave of the nation’s opioid epidemic.Though the spike in death rates has largely affected the Northeast, the trend is starting to worry health experts in California, who are already taking precautions to reduce overdoses.

Dental Surgery

Opioids After Wisdom Teeth Removal Might Set Young People Up For Addiction

August 7, 2018

The University of Michigan recently released that young people ages 13- 30 are 2.7 times more likely to continue filling opioid prescriptions after surgery.

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