Additional Resources
Webinars/Videos
Educational Material
The Fentanyl Crisis: Detection Can Save Lives
In the news
Department of Justice/Drug Enforcement Administration – Drug Sheet-Counterfeit Pills
Article shares information on what counterfeit pills are their origin, how they are used, effects on the body, and more.
World News – Drugs Users are Nostalgic for ‘Old-School Heroin’ as Fentanyl Takes Over
In many former heroin strongholds in the U.S. and Canada, the opioid is disappearing, fueling fentanyl overdoses and prompting some users to push for a renaissance.
MedicalLab Management – Opioid-Overdose Epidemic in Its Fourth Wave (must register – registration is free)
Discusses the more recent and dramatic increase being driven by the rise of stimulant (i.e., methamphetamine and cocaine) and synthetic opioid co-use, in what experts are now calling the “fourth wave” of the opioid epidemic.
AHA – Between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 Patients Admitted to a Hospital Have a Behavioral Health or Substance Use Comorbidity
America’s opioid epidemic continues to escalate. Preliminary federal data released in April 2021 showed that 87,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the 12 months through August 2020, with opioid-related fatalities being a primary driver in those numbers.
Colorado Health Institute – Opioid Overdose Deaths up 54% in 2020, Fentanyl Fatalities Spike
New research and interactive graphics released by the Colorado Health Institute (CHI) based on data from the Colorado Department Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) show that 1,477 Coloradans died of drug overdoses in 2020 — the most overdose deaths ever recorded in the state and a 38% increase from 2019.
WBUR News – Massachusetts Opioid Overdoses Remain at Elevated Levels
An estimated 21 more people died of opioid overdoses in the first nine months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020, according to new state data.
Atascadero News - CDC Launches New Education Campaigns Aimed at Preventing Drug Overdose Deaths
Illegal drugs are more potent and potentially lethal than ever before as many can be mixed or laced with illicitly made fentanyl.
The Washington Post - 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 12 months during the pandemic
The U.S. drug epidemic reached another terrible milestone when the government announced that more than 100,000 people had died of overdoses between April 2020 and April 2021. It is the first time that drug-related deaths have reached six figures in any 12-month period.
