opioids

Attorney General Ashley Moody wants the high court to decide whether hospital districts and school boards should be able to pursue opioid lawsuits after she reached settlements with the pharmaceutical industry.

Nationwide overdose deaths have declined. That's according to NPR. But, how is Florida faring in the opioid crisis? WUFT’s Sofia Zarran has more.

Attorney General Ashley Moody wanted the Florida Supreme Court to resolve a legal battle about whether local agencies could pursue lawsuits after she reached settlements with the pharmaceutical industry.

More than 1 million Americans use Medicaid to get addiction treatments like methadone. But as states update their systems, some patients have lost coverage. Even a short gap can be life-threatening.

A panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal rejected Attorney General Ashley Moody’s arguments that her office had the power to enter settlements that would effectively trump lawsuits by local agencies.

The ruling was a victory for the five hospitals and two school districts that want to pursue lawsuits to recover costs related to treating patients and educating children affected by the opioid epidemic.

According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report, total drug-related deaths, opioid-caused deaths and deaths caused by fentanyl were all down in the first half of 2023.

A popular scale for measuring pain doesn’t work, but medicine still has no better alternative.

In a 5-4 decision, the justices ruled that the multibillion opioid settlement inappropriately protected the Sackler family.

In Hillsborough, health officials offered the overdose reversal drug to people who stopped by their Tampa office. Other counties recognized the day with education on recognizing overdoses and saving lives.