newsnaloxoneharm-reductionNYC Honors Public Health Worker Behind Naloxone Vending Machines That Distributed 4,500 Overdose KitsNew York City recognized a dozen public servants for innovative projects that improve city services. Among the winners: Roxanne Anderson, who launched vending machines that dispense free naloxone, syringes, and harm reduction supplies across the city.April 3, 20264 min read
newspolicyopioidFederal Government Moves to Ban Synthetic Opioid Sold in Gas Stations Before It Triggers the Next Addiction CrisisFederal regulators are racing to ban a synthetic opioid that's been sold legally in convenience stores and vape shops across the country. The substance, 7-hydroxymitragynine—known as 7-OH—is a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant that officials say is as addictive as heroin and more potent than morphine.March 25, 20268 min read
newspolicyfentanylDEA Just Banned Three Synthetic Opioids Stronger Than Fentanyl. Why New York Should Pay Attention.The DEA placed three nitazene-class synthetic opioids into Schedule I effective March 11, 2026. These substances are up to 40 times more potent than fentanyl and have been detected in overdose deaths nationwide.March 17, 20268 min read
newsnaloxonepolicyNew York Employers Must Now Keep Naloxone Where First Aid Kits Are RequiredNew York recently amended its labor laws to require private employers who maintain workplace first aid supplies to also stock naloxone or another FDA-approved opioid antagonist. The change comes as workplace overdose deaths continue to rise nationwide.March 11, 20264 min read
newspolicynaloxoneNew York Workplaces Will Be Required to Stock Overdose Medication by Next YearStarting December 2026, New York employers required to maintain first aid supplies must stock naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses. The new law signed by Governor Hochul aims to combat a crisis that claimed over 4,500 lives in 2024.February 27, 20265 min read
newspolicynaloxoneNew York Law Will Require Naloxone in Workplace First Aid Kits by DecemberThousands of New York employers will need to add naloxone to workplace first aid kits under a law signed February 13. The requirement takes effect December 13, 2026, covering any private business already required by federal rules to maintain first aid supplies.February 26, 20263 min read
opioidfentanylharm-reductionA New Sedative Is Showing Up in New York's Drug Supply — and Naloxone Won't Stop ItDrug checking programs at NYC syringe service programs are detecting a new sedative in the city's opioid supply. Medetomidine is more dangerous than xylazine, and naloxone has no effect on it — which changes how overdoses need to be managed.February 18, 20263 min read
overdoseopioidfentanylNew York Just Recorded Its Lowest Overdose Death Toll Since Before COVID. Here's What Changed.For two consecutive years, New York has posted dramatic declines in overdose deaths. An estimated 4,567 people died in 2024, compared to 6,688 in 2023 — a drop the state hasn't seen since before the pandemic. Here's what drove it, who's still being left behind, and why 2026 will test how durable these gains really are.February 18, 20267 min read
