Archive for category: Uncategorized

DEA warns about fentanyl-laced black market pain medications amid spike in overdoses

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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warned the public Monday of an increase in black market painkillers that are laced with fentanyl or methamphetamine.

“The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement.

“Counterfeit pills that contain these dangerous and extremely addictive drugs are more lethal and more accessible than ever before,” Milgram continued. “In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.”

The agency said the fake pills are easily available on social media platforms and e-commerce websites and are designed to look like legitimate prescription drugs. Authorities seized more than 9.5 million fake pills so far this year.

To read the entire The Hill article click here.

Health officials warn fake ‘blue pills’ are causing hundreds of overdoses in SC

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – South Carolina’s Opioid Emergency Response Team has issued a warning about a new counterfeit pain pill blamed for hundreds of opioid overdoses across the state.

The OERT advisory said the fake, 30mg Roxicodone, also known as “blue pills,” are laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.

Since January 2020, more than 500 suspected opioid overdoses statewide have involved “blue pills,” according to the OERT alert.

“It’s something that might be perceived to be a safe, prescription drug, that could be misused perhaps. When really, it’s an illicitly made manufactured, potent drug that is deadly,” Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services Director Sara Goldsby said. “That’s where we’ve been identifying it is in individuals who have experienced overdose related to these blue pills.”

 

To read the entire WIS News10 article click here.

New South Carolina law will put Narcan in some opioid patient’s medicine cabinets

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW) – A bill recently signed into law in South Carolina will give certain people on opioids easier access to an overdose reversal drug.

South Carolina is one of the first states to enact a co-prescription policy. Those who meet certain qualifications will be prescribed Naloxone, an overdose reversal drug, along with the opioid.

“If you were given a high dose of an opioid, if you are also prescribed a benzodiazepine or if you have a prior history of opioid-use with a disorder or an overdose itself, those would be the circumstances in which this bill would trigger that co-prescription,” said Russell Fry, Horry County state representative.

 

To read the entire WBTW News13 article click here.

Charleston police warn of deadly opioid fentanyl disguised as other drugs

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Authorities in Charleston have a warning — the deadly opioid fentanyl, which has been at the center of the nation’s ongoing epidemic of overdose deaths, is increasingly being mixed with other drugs like heroin, cocaine and marijuana.

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Because of its strength, it has also been found in pills meant to imitate Percocet, Oxycodone and Xanax, police said.

 

To read the full article from The Post & Courier click here.

Embrace Recovery SC: Changing The stigma around those battling substance abuse

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Approximately 378,000 people in South Carolina are recovering from a substance abuse disorder.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new campaign is working to change the way many view people recovering from substance abuse.

It’s called Embrace Recovery SC.

To Read the full article from News19 wltxc.com click here.

More than 378,000 South Carolinians are in recovery for a substance use disorder. It’s time we embrace their recovery.

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More than 378,000 South Carolinians are living full lives – in recovery.

It’s time we all embrace recovery, not just those who are overcoming a substance use disorder. Once we understand that this is a treatable disease and not a moral failing, better days are ahead for everyone. People can and do recover, going on to lead healthy lives. That’s why it’s so important to provide understanding and support, regardless of where in the recovery process someone might be.

For more information visit: www.embracerecoverysc.com