Michigan lawmakers grilled a Whitmer administration official about poor coordination between county and state efforts to blunt the opioid epidemic.
Opioids in Michigan
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Don’t let synthetic opioids hijack the conversation around natural kratom
There is a meaningful difference between traditional kratom leaf and the newer, synthetic, hyper-concentrated products now flooding the market. A blanket ban on natural kratom leaf would sweep fundamentally different products into the same category while punishing responsible adults like me.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan cities, counties have spent 18% of opioid settlement funds
The one-time funds meant to battle the opioid crisis are being spent slowly. That may not be a bad thing, says one expert.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan drug deaths drop; $154M more in opioid-fighting funds on way
After years of steep increases, drug deaths in Michigan are declining again — this time to the lowest number in more than a decade. At the same time, Michigan will receive another $154 million in opioid settlement dollars to fund the drug fight.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan must stay ahead of synthetic opioid cychlorphine before cases appear
Cychlorphine is 10 times more potent than fentanyl. Modern overdose surveillance depends heavily on whether laboratories are looking deeply enough to identify what routine screens can miss.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Three years in, funds to fight opioids still unspent in some Michigan counties
Funds meant to save lives in Michigan’s drug war are still sitting in the bank accounts of some local governments.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Purer meth, less pure opioids, more cocaine hit Michigan, testing reveals
State drug lab results show methamphetamine users now get their stuff from Mexican cartels, not homemade labs. Meanwhile, opioids are being cut with sedatives that make overdose treatments ineffective.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Supporters tout benefits of kratom, but will it stall Michigan drug fight?
A kratom derivative known as 7-OH targets the same receptors as painkillers and opioids. Experts say the products, sold in colorful packages, especially endanger children and people battling addiction.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
For Michiganders in opioid recovery, surgery brings a new pain dilemma
A new study finds that an increasing number of surgeries — and the painkillers that follow — could derail recovery for those who once misused opioids.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan to use $38M in opioid funds to expand housing for people in recovery
The $38 million for stable housing comes as the Trump administration shifts away from long-term solutions for the country’s homeless.