Feb. 15—The Cumberland County Opioid Task Force held its initial meeting last month, elected officers and decided to review a grant application template from the state. The committee will review the form to determine if any changes are needed during its meeting next month. The committee was formed last year after Cumberland County received roughly […]
An alleged double murderer poisoned a married couple with the opioid fentanyl and rewrote their will, a court heard. Luke D’Wit, 34, befriended and worked for millionaires Stephen and Carol Baxter, who he claimed treated him like an “adopted son”, jurors were told. The couple were found unresponsive and slumped in chairs in the conservatory […]
After gaining roughly $215,000 in settlement money by joining opioid lawsuits against some of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical companies, Palm Springs will use the funding for a variety of programs designed to help those struggling with substance abuse and addiction. The initial funding approved by the council is part of roughly $2.9 million in total […]
LAFAYETTE, Ind.— The Tippecanoe County Commissioners approved contracts on Monday for nine area nonprofit organizations to receive dispersed funds from the county’s portion of the opioid settlement totaling $550,000. The Tippecanoe Regional Opioid Settlement Community Committee presented commissioners with contracts for Lafayette Transitional Housing, Mental Health America, Meridian Health Services, NAMI West Central Indiana, Paul’s […]
Feb. 5—New Mexico will receive about $2.7 million from a multistate settlement of litigation alleging the marketing company Publicis Health and its affiliates helped Purdue Pharma aggressively market and sell addictive opioids like OxyContin to more people for longer periods of time. The state’s share comes out of the $350 million settlement the company reached […]
A Dallas doctor accused of writing opioid prescriptions to undercover agents posing as patients has been found guilty in federal court, according to a news release. Leovares Mendez, 58, was found guilty of six counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. He will be […]
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) – A Virginia doctor who prescribed more than 500,000 opioid doses in less than two years had his conviction and 40-year prison sentence thrown out by a federal appeals court on Friday, because the jury instructions misstated the law. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia also ordered […]
This article was originally published in Washington State Standard. As the opioid epidemic continues to ravage Washington and the rest of the country, officials are considering new policies to curb youth overdoses and addiction. Washington’s Department of Health is offering opioid overdose reversal medication, known as naloxone or Narcan, to every public high school in […]
Jan. 27—As West Virginia struggles with an addiction crisis that still claims more than 1,500 lives a year, one of the state’s hardest hit communities is continuing its legal fight to hold painkiller distributors responsible for the community-wide repercussions. In July 2022 — after a lengthy and complex trial — Huntington and Cabell County lost […]
Naloxone may be coming to a flight near you. The lifesaving medication, which rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, will now be carried on Southwest Airlines flights, according to a company spokesperson. With this move, Southwest joins other airlines like United and Alaska Airlines in having naloxone on board. The change comes nearly […]
Jan. 25—There’s a push in Charleston to get some of the state’s nearly $1 billion in opioid settlement money flowing by Election Day. Region 4 wants to be ready. To that end, the Monongalia County Commission hosted a meeting of regional representatives Thursday morning at the Mon County Center. During the hour-long session, individuals representing […]
Jan. 24—SEATTLE — Johnson and Johnson will pay nearly $150 million to Washington for its role in the opioid epidemic, the Washington State Office of Attorney General announced Tuesday. The $149.5 million resolution will be paid in a lump sum this fiscal year. It is an increase over a rejected settlement that would have paid […]