overdoses | The Ohio Star

San Francisco Facing Deadliest Year Ever for Overdoses

December 11, 2023 Ohio Star Staff

The far-left city of San Francisco is set to have its deadliest year on record in terms of drug overdoses, further emphasizing the coastal city’s struggles with rising crime, homelessness, and drug abuse.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the California city recorded 692 accidental overdose deaths from January to October of 2023, as reported by the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner last month. By the end of the year, that total is expected to top 800, surpassing the previous record of 720 deaths in 2020.

Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Legalize Fentanyl Testing Strips

May 24, 2022May 24, 2022 Cooper Moran

Ohio lawmakers introduced a bill to decriminalize fentanyl testing strips for residents of the state.

The legislation, House Bill 456, would remove the strips that change color if fentanyl is detected from the list of drug paraphernalia that is prohibited.

Ohio Attorney General’s Office Warns of New Deadly Synthetic Drug

April 22, 2022April 21, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

Ohio’s top attorney this week is warning residents of a new class of designer drugs that are more deadly than fentanyl.

“Frankenstein opioids are even more lethal than the drugs already responsible for so many overdose deaths,” Attorney General Dave Yost said in a press release. “Law enforcement and the public need to pay attention to these emerging hazards.”

Akron Man Wants Fentanyl Declared a Weapon of Mass Destruction

March 31, 2021March 30, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

An Akron man whose son died of an overdose in 2015 is on a crusade to take fentanyl, a ultra-lethal drug manufactured mostly in China and by Mexican cartels, off the streets for good.

Motivated by his son’s tragic death, James Rauh founded an organization called Families Against Fentanyl, which is taking a unique approach to fighting the manufacture and import of that drug.

Reports: Largest Increase of Year-over-Year Opioid Overdoses Ever Recorded in 2020

January 11, 2021January 10, 2021 The Center Square

In a year marred by death from an ongoing pandemic, 2020 also saw record overdose deaths.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that 2020 saw a record year-over-year number of opioid overdose deaths.

Experts: Revamped OxyContin Hasn’t Curbed Abuse, Overdoses

September 13, 2020September 12, 2020 The Associated Press

A panel of government health advisers said Friday there’s no clear evidence that a harder-to-crush version of the painkiller OxyContin designed to discourage abuse actually resulted in fewer overdoses or deaths.

The conclusion from the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel comes more than a decade after Purdue Pharma revamped its blockbuster opioid, which has long been blamed for sparking a surge in painkiller abuse beginning in the 1990s.

Ohio’s Franklin County Experiences 11 Overdose Deaths This Past Weekend

May 14, 2020May 13, 2020 Zachery Schmidt

Franklin County in Ohio saw another surge in drug-related overdoses last weekend, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Dr. Anahi Ortiz, the Franklin County coroner, told The Dispatch that 11 people had died.

Since the Wuhan virus came to Ohio, Franklin County has been one of state’s hardest-hit areas in terms of overdoses.