Latest News On Opioids

Latest California Healthline Stories

Repeating History: California County Plugs Budget Gap With Opioid Settlement Cash

State attorneys general vowed that opioid settlement funds — unlike the tobacco settlement of the 1990s — would go toward tackling the underlying crisis. But in Mendocino County, officials have found a way to use some of its share to help fill a budget shortfall — a throwback to what agreement architects hoped to avoid.

Meet the People Deciding How to Spend $50 Billion in Opioid Settlement Cash

As settlement dollars land at the state level, state councils wield significant power in determining how the windfall gets spent. And, though they will likely include the most knowledgeable voices on addiction, these panels also face concerns about conflicts of interest and other issues.

The DEA Relaxed Online Prescribing Rules During Covid. Now It Wants to Rein Them In.

Supporters say the proposed rules would balance the goals of increasing access to health care and helping prevent medication misuse. Opponents say the rules would make it difficult for some patients — especially those in rural areas — to get care.

Watch: Payback for the Opioid Crisis: How Did the Sackler Family Skirt Liability?

KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani appeared on PBS NewsHour to discuss the ruling surrounding drugmaker Purdue Pharma’s role in the opioid crisis and her reporting into the ongoing distribution of opioid settlement funds.

California Confronts the Threat of ‘Tranq’ as Overdose Crisis Rages

California officials are stepping up efforts to combat the spread of xylazine, a powerful animal sedative that’s increasingly being used by people, often with devastating results. It’s mostly been an East Coast phenomenon, but ‘tranq,’ as it is known, is beginning to appear in the Golden State.