Kastalia Medrano

Overdose Death Data Patterns Emerge as Crisis Surges in Western States

The United States overdose crisis appears to be separating into regional crises on different trajectories, as a wave of fentanyl-involved…

June 18, 2026

FDA Approves 4 Mg Rextovy as Third Over-the-Counter Naloxone Product

The Food and Drug Administration has granted over-the-counter (OTC) approval to Rextovy, a 4 mg naloxone nasal spray product manufactured…

June 17, 2026

AZ Votes to Set Fentanyl Enhanced Penalty Threshold at Just 9 Grams

On June 12 Arizona senators passed a bill that would drop the amount of fentanyl necessary to trigger mandatory minimum…

June 16, 2026

Supreme Court Blocks Alabama Bid to Proceed With Banned Nitrogen Execution

On June 11 the Supreme Court received, and subsequently rejected, a request from the state of Alabama to proceed with…

June 12, 2026

HHS Wants Input on Which Kinds of Treatment and Recovery to Fund

The Department of Health and Human Services is asking the public to weigh in on where it should invest funding…

June 10, 2026

FDA Greenlights First Human Trial of Kratom to Treat Opioid Use Disorder

The Food and Drug Administration has approved an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to study mitragynine, the main psychoactive compound…

June 4, 2026

Cychlorphine Is Not the Problem

Over the course of 2026 a growing number of headlines have invited the public to panic about cychlorphine, a relatively…

June 3, 2026

CVS, Walgreens and Walmart Beat Rx Opioid Racketeering Lawsuit

A legal battle between Florida hospitals and the nation’s biggest pharmacy chains came to a sudden end May 26, when…

May 28, 2026

Louisiana Urges More Oversight When Giving Opioid Funds Directly to Cops

Louisiana, one of only two states that distributes opioid settlement funding directly to law enforcement, is now trying to bring…

May 27, 2026

NIDA Explains Link Between Drugs and HIV, Without Mentioning Syringes

On May 18, National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow published a blog post highlighting the intersection of injection…

May 22, 2026