Fentanyl

Insys Therapeutics founder John Kapoor was convicted in a bribery and kickback scheme that prosecutors said helped fuel the opioid crisis.

Pharmaceutical Executive John Kapoor Sentenced To 66 Months In Prison In Opioid Trial

Gabrielle Emanuel

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His sentencing is the culmination of a months-long criminal trial that resulted in the first successful prosecution of pharmaceutical executives tied to the opioid epidemic.

The MX908 can check for the presence of fentanyl mixed with other drugs and such testing may help prevent overdoses. Sarah Mackin of the Boston Public Health Commission prepares the machine for testing some samples.

NPR Health

Built For Counterterrorism, This High-Tech Machine Is Now Helping Fight Fentanyl

Martha Bebinger

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Public health officials are adopting a law-enforcement tool, the mass spectrometer, to instantly identify potentially deadly levels of opioids in local drug supplies.

Insys Therapeutics founder John N. Kapoor leaves federal court in Boston in March. Officials at the company have been accused of recklessly promoting a highly addictive opioid spray.

Opioid Addiction

Federal Judge Overturns Part Of Opioid-Maker's Conviction

Tori Bedford

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A drug maker accused of using bribes and kickbacks to encourage doctors to prescribe a highly addictive opioid painkiller has won a partial reprieve in federal court.

Health News Florida

Florida Considers Changes In Drug Sentencing Laws

Associated Press

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Offenders caught with small amounts of most drugs could be sent to jail but not prison under a bill approved by a Florida Senate committee. The Senate…

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the cause of an increasing number of overdose deaths in the United States.

Health News Florida

Manatee Sheriff: County Saw Twice As Many Overdose Deaths As Previous Year

Daylina Miller

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Overdose deaths related to synthetic opiods like fentanyl increased 1002% nationally between 2011 and 2016, according to a report from the Centers for...

Bags of heroin, some laced with fentanyl, picked up in a 2016 New York City drug bust. "Basically, [fentanyl] is so cheap to produce and it's so powerful, that drug dealers began realizing it was a way to increase their profits," <em>Fentanyl, Inc. </em>author Ben Westhoff says. But miscalculations of the amount used can be deadly.

NPR Health

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

Dave Davies

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Fentanyl, Inc. author Ben Westhoff says the opioid, while useful in hospitals, is killing more Americans as a street drug than any other in U.S. history. Here's how it moves from China to your corner.

Health News Florida

Feds Plan Crackdown As Florida Fentanyl Deaths Rise

Blaise Gainey

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Wednesday, the White House announced the federal government will be cracking down on international fentanyl trafficking. Fentanyl is a pain reliever used…

Emergency responders providing care to a patient in the back of an ambulance.

Health News Florida

Drug Deaths In Florida Down In First Half Of 2018

By Christine Sexton / News Service of FloridaThe number of drug-related deaths in Florida, including those caused by opioids, declined in the first six…

This is the amount of fentanyl that can be toxic.

Health News Florida

Accidental Fentanyl Exposure Sickens First Responders During Routine Traffic Stop

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is reminding first responders to make sure they’re carrying NARCAN. That’s after a deputy and two firefighters fell ill…

Prison corridor with inmates in distance

Health News Florida

Deputy, Nurse Disciplined In Florida Inmate Death

A deputy and a jail nurse have been disciplined after a Florida inmate overdosed on heroin and fentanyl. Lorraine Gardner died in September after…