Reporting on fentanyl and synthetic opioids
Amid the opioid crisis, the synthetic drug fentanyl stands out for its danger and the sheer number of Americans it has killed. This tip sheet offers reporters background and resources.
drugs
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Pleasure, panacea, poison? The little-known health effects of marijuana
Despite regulatory hurdles, a growing body of scholarship is answering important questions about the health impacts of medical and recreational pot.
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Illegal income: How much does crime pay?
A new study suggests most people who earn money illegally do it by selling drugs and earn less than $1,500 a week, on average.
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Doctors trained at top medical schools prescribe fewer opioids
If all general practitioners prescribed liked those from the best medical schools, 56.5 percent fewer opioid prescriptions would have been written between 2006 and 2014.
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Rich teens, drug abuse and the importance of involved parents
Teenagers from affluent suburban homes are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs than the national average. Parental attentiveness is key to prevention, a new paper finds.
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Public assistance seems to help drug offenders stay away from crime
Millions of Americans have been imprisoned under the War on Drugs. Convicts who receive public assistance after release may be less likely to offend again.
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Drugs in our rivers: Bugs on speed and Prozac in the food chain
When we flush, Prozac, cocaine and antibiotics trickle into the ecosystem. Researchers are just beginning to understand their effects.
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Survey dissects U.S. healthcare spending over the decades
Diabetes, heart disease and back pain are the priciest ailments in the United States, a new survey has found. And the cost of healthcare is rising far faster than inflation.
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Prescription opioid drugs: What they cost and who pays
A study in Health Affairs suggests spending for prescription opioids tripled from 1999 to 2012 and that Medicare and Medicaid covered a growing portion of those costs.
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Performance-enhancing drugs in athletics: Research roundup
2015 roundup of research on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics and academics as well as their potential health effects.
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