Gavin Newsom

A falls asleep standing up in an alley after smoking fentanyl in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. For too many people strung out on the drug, the sleep that follows a fentanyl hit is permanent. The highly addictive and potentially lethal drug has become a scourge across America and is taking a toll on the growing number of people living on the streets of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

California’s fentanyl problem is getting worse

Lawmakers have been debating whether and how to stiffen punishments for dealers, while Gov. Gavin Newsom is targeting fentanyl trafficking and distributing more naloxone. The problem, experts say, is one with no easy or clear answers.

Pedestrians walk along the edge of a sidewalk to avoid tents and sleeping bags, on April 13, 2020, in the tenderloin area of San Francisco.

NPR Health

Newsom sends National Guard and CHP to tackle San Francisco's fentanyl crisis

Juliana Kim

The two agencies will join forces with local police and the district attorney's office to ramp up efforts against fentanyl trafficking in San Francisco.

Health News Florida

Federal law thwarts Newsom's plan for California to cut ties with Walgreens

Samantha Young - KFF Health News

Gov. Gavin Newsom's declaration came after the company said it would not distribute abortion pills in some states. However, California is legally bound to continue doing business with Walgreens through the state’s massive Medicaid program.

Walgreens announced last week that it'd stop selling mifepristone, a popular abortion pill, in red states. California Gov. Gavin Newsom says his state will cut ties with the pharmacy giant after the move.

NPR Health

California will cut ties with Walgreens over the company's plan to drop abortion pills

Emily Olson

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the state would halt business with Walgreens after the pharmacy giant agreed to stop distributing mifepristone in some red states amid legal pressure.

Forensic assistant Laurentiu Bigu, left, and investigator Ryan Parraz from the Los Angeles County coroner's office cover the body of a homeless man found dead on a sidewalk in Los Angeles, Monday, April 18, 2022. The 60-year-old man died from the effects of methamphetamine, according to his autopsy report. Nearly 2,000 homeless people died in the city from April 2020 to March 2021, a 56% increase from the previous year, according to a report released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Overdose was the leading cause of death, killing more than 700.

Health News Florida

Fentanyl's scourge is plainly visible on the streets of Los Angeles

Associated Press

About a third of the city's 2,000 homeless deaths between April 2020 and March 2021 were from an overdose. The federal government says the highly addictive and lethal synthetic drug has become the deadliest drug in the nation.