Fentanyl

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says the government classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, which means that it is considered a greater concern than either fentanyl or cocaine, which Schedule 2 drugs.

A report based on millions of urine drug tests found the United States is facing a rise in the use of multiple drugs at once, which not only is often more deadly but complicates treatment efforts.

The researchers found that between 2020 and 2022, the percentage of overdose deaths with evidence of smoking rose 74%. Meanwhile, the percentage of deaths with evidence of injection fell 29%.

Under Ballot Measure 110, instead of arresting drug users, police give them a citation and point them towards treatment. Over three years in, there's a debate about whether it's succeeded or failed.

Moody says deaths are rising nationally from a dangerous designer street drug that may also be mixed with fentanyl.

The president wants lawmakers to provide more funds to aid efforts to block fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking. He also says that a deal with China will require monitoring to have an impact.

Federal data shows Oregon saw the biggest increase in synthetic opioid deaths since 2019 among states that have reported their numbers. Now, many lawmakers want to reimpose legal penalties.

Scholars fear that cartels will find new synthetic drugs — that may be even deadlier. Their solution: Better prevention and treatment programs.

The president hopes to provide $1.6 million in emergency funding for communities trying to tackle the opioid and fentanyl crisis.

District officials announced the development last week as they launched a countywide awareness campaign around the deadly risks of fentanyl.