Michael Watkins works for the Recovery Resource Council, an addiction treatment nonprofit that's been tackling the fentanyl crisis in North Texas since it began more than 10 years ago. In 2023, Dallas County recorded 280 deaths from fentanyl, last year 203. The Trump administration has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in addiction services and drug-related research across multiple federal agencies.
The United States recorded 68,372 overdose deaths between November 2024 and November 2025. On average, the death count is 15.9 percent lower than it was in the 12-month period leading up to November 2024. In New York, the rate fell more than 37 percent and in Arizona, it increased more than 21 percent.
Andrew Kolodny wrote an op-ed in The Conversation about kratom and its potential health risks. Jeff Singer and Alex Berezow have written about the risks of kratom for years. They say the risks have been overstated and exaggerated. Alex's former colleague has taken a closer look at Andrew's finances.
Kelley Nalewaja's son, Michael, died after unknowingly taking a lethal cocktail of fentanyl and carfentanil in November 2025. He had a drug addiction and was in rehab as a teenager. The rise of carfenil coincides with a recent crackdown by the Chinese government on the sale of precursors used to make fentanyl.
There is an increase in overdose deaths due to the drug crisis. Some cities have established supervised consumption sites (SCSs). They provide people with a place to use their drug of choice in the presence of staff armed with overdose-reversing naloxone. According to the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions, SCSs have no effect on overdose deaths.
Cocaine use in the US has fallen from 6.7% to 1.5% in the last decade. Generation Zers are less interested in snorting "blow" than their parents' generation. They prefer cannabis or prescription stimulants such as Adderall.
GATC-1021 was found to be highly selective in attenuating fentanyl self-administration in male and female rats. It also increased the percentage of thin dendritic spines in the hippocampus and changes in gene expression pathways involved in neuroplasticity in the prefrontal cortex after fentanyl-induced alterations.
The New York Times reports on the changing chemistry of new, highly potent synthetic drugs produced in small, often makeshift laboratories. The article skillfully demonstrates the âiron law of prohibitionâ in action - the harder the law enforcement, the harder it is to control the drug market.
A new synthetic opioid called DFNZ may be less addictive than morphine or fentanyl, according to a study in lab rats. It could be used to replace addictive painkillers like morphine in patients. However, it needs to undergo rigorous clinical trials before it gets regulatory approval.
Cannabis is a Schedule I drug under federal law, which restricts research on its effects on human health. Michigan legalized the recreational use of cannabis in 2018 by popular referendum. 1 in 6 pregnant Michiganders use cannabis. The state has a high burden of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and cancer.