Kastalia Medrano

It’s Not a Meth Overdose Crisis. It’s a Data Crisis.

When someone dies without a doctor present, and they hadn't seen a doctor anytime recently, a local medical examiner will…

June 26, 2023

“A Dream Location”: RI Safe Injection, Inhalation Site Slated for Early 2024

Rhode Island’s first safe consumption site (SCS) is expected to open in Providence in early 2024. If approved by the…

April 20, 2023

Fentanyl Cut With Xylazine Designated “Emerging Threat” by Feds

On April 12, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) formally designated xylazine, in combination with fentanyl,…

April 13, 2023

Meth Overamps Come in Two Forms. Mostly the One We Don’t Talk About.

To people who don't use meth, "overamp" means uncontrolled adrenaline. The term refers to overdose of stimulants and has come…

April 13, 2023

Meth Harm Reduction and the Adderall Shortage

For most of my 20s, running out of Adderall was the problem that put everything else on hold. If my…

April 10, 2023

FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Naloxone Product

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone product, waiving the prescription requirement and with it…

March 29, 2023

FDA Inches Closer to OTC Narcan—at the Expense of Generic Naloxone

Advisors to the Food and Drug Administration have voted unanimously in support of making a naloxone product available without requiring…

February 15, 2023

SOTU: Biden Promises Fentanyl Crackdowns, OUD Meds in Prisons

On February 7, President Joe Biden delivered the State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. It…

February 8, 2023

A Harm Reduction Guide to Better Booty-Bumping Kits

Every drug user I talk to regularly has heard my case for putting drugs up your butt. It's a conversation…

January 13, 2023

DOJ Delays Safehouse Response to 2023, an Unexpected Blow

The Department of Justice was expected to filed its long-awaited response to the ongoing Safehouse Philly lawsuit on December 5—widely…

December 5, 2022