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'The poppy harvest in Forth, a fertile farming region along Tasmania's northern coast.' // Tasmania Poppy Opioid Crisis Thebaine

How an Island in the Antipodes Became the World’s Leading Supplier of Licit Opioids

Pharmaceutical companies exploited a regulatory loophole that allowed for a decades-long boom in licit opioid production fueled by Tasmanian-grown poppies. Here's what the island can tell us about the next wave of the crisis.

Peter Andrey Smith

Social Justice

Is Medical Marijuana the Solution to the Veteran Opioid Crisis?

Studies suggest that medical cannabis might be an effective PTSD treatment. The VA has come out against bills that would allow for further research.

Christopher Jones

A bottle of liquid oxycodone, an opioid pain relief medication, and a dose of the solution sit on a table in Washington, D.C., on March 29th, 2019.

News in Brief

Does the FDA’s Plan to Regulate New Opioids More Strictly Go Far Enough?

The FDA has a key role to play in combating America's overdose epidemic, but advocacy groups debate whether it's doing enough.

Francie Diep

Oxycodone pain pills prescribed for a patient with chronic pain lie on display.

News in Brief

Under Pressure From Opioid Lawsuits, One Pain Research Society Considers Bankruptcy

The enormous opioid lawsuits across the nation are affecting pain science too.

Francie Diep

Social Justice

Did Researchers Who Seek to Relieve Pain Contribute to the Opioid Epidemic?

It's not just drug manufacturers who are feeling the effects of major opioid lawsuits.

Francie Diep

Federal Prosecutors Are Criminally Charging an Opioid Distributor for the First Time

The charges mean that two former Rochester Drug Company leaders could face prison time.

Francie Diep

A client receives his dose of methadone from a dispensing nurse at C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic in Sacramento, California, on March 13th, 2019.

Social Justice

There’s a Gold-Standard Treatment for Opioid Addiction, One of America’s Top Killers. What Keeps Treatment Centers From Using It?

A quest through California to find which addiction and recovery centers aren't using medication-assisted treatment—our country's best bet for beating the opioid crisis.

Francie Diep

Windows shadow sober living facilities opioid addiction

Social Justice

The New Proposed Federal Guidelines for Sober Homes Are Disappointing, Observers Say

Many sober homes have made the news recently for egregious violations—but the latest federal effort to clean them up may not do much to help.

Francie Diep

Should We Blame Pharmaceutical Companies for America’s Opioid Epidemic? Here’s What the Science Says.

Legal evidence is needed to pin addiction and death on opioid manufacturers, but the science suggests that a large and ready supply of legal prescription painkillers led to many addictions.

Francie Diep