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A $30 million gift to build an addiction treatment center. Then staffers had to run it.

Jan 19, 2023
The money was a one-time gift for infrastructure, but to stay running, the clinic is on its own.
Crossing Healthcare, an addiction treatment facility in Decatur, Illinois, received a $30 million grant to build the center, but had to fund staffing and programs by itself.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Walmart joins CVS and Walgreens in landmark opioid settlement

Nov 16, 2022
The agreement is with several U.S. states, cities, and Native American tribes.
A sign for Walmart is displayed outside its store in Washington, DC.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Could making fentanyl test strips more available curb opioid overdoses?

Feb 10, 2022
Some health officials and researchers say the tests could save lives. But many state drug paraphernalia laws make them illegal.
Packages of fentanyl test strips and instructions for their use. Some experts and officials say they can save lives, but they are outlawed in many states.
Gustavo Sagrero/Boise State Public Radio

California invests millions to try and curtail drug overdoses

Dec 28, 2021
The program's approach includes an emphasis on medically-assisted treatment, using drugs to help ease withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
California Bridge regional director Joshua Luftig, right, and program coordinator Christian Hailozian at the Bridge Substance Use Program at Highland Hospital in Oakland
Beth LaBerge/KQED

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to plead to 3 criminal charges

Oct 21, 2020
The drugmaker will also pay a settlement of more than $8 billion, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
OxyContin is displayed at a drugstore in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Darren McCollester/Getty Images

Investigation finds rehab programs across the U.S. require unpaid labor from clients

Jul 8, 2020
At least 300 rehab facilities in 44 states required unpaid labor from participants, investigators found.
Investigators found rehab participants doing everything from picking cotton in Georgia to doing doing construction on high rises in the San Francisco Bay Area, all with no or little pay.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

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Is a rise in store theft at Home Depot really linked to the opioid crisis?

Dec 13, 2019
Some are skeptical the chain retailer's "shrink" is due to opioid addiction.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The opioid crisis is getting more expensive

Oct 21, 2019
Lost earnings from those who have died of overdoses were a major factor, according to the Society of Actuaries.
Flowers are placed at a Minneapolis memorial for people who have died from opioid overdoses.
Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images

Companies reach $260 million deal to settle opioids lawsuit

Oct 21, 2019
The nation’s three dominant drug distributors and a big drugmaker have reached a $260 million deal to settle an opioid crisis lawsuit just as the first federal trial over the crisis was due to begin.
Pill Man, a skeleton made from Frank Huntley's oxycontin and methadone prescription bottles, is seen on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House August 30, 2019, in Washington, DC.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images