newsoverdoseopioidNY Overdose Deaths Fall 45% Since 2022, Hochul SaysNew York State recorded roughly 3,775 overdose deaths in 2025, down from more than 6,630 in 2022 — a 45% decline that state officials credit to historic settlement-funded investments, mass naloxone distribution, and expanded treatment access.September 6, 202610 min read
newsopioidsettlementNew York Has Spent Nearly Half a Billion in Opioid Settlement Money. Here's Where It Went.New York has received over $3 billion from opioid manufacturer lawsuits. A new OASAS report reveals where nearly $500 million has gone so far.August 24, 20264 min read
newsfentanylopioidSyracuse Sweep Seizes Enough Fentanyl for 180,000 Fatal DosesThirteen people were arrested and 37 illegal firearms were seized in Operation Clean Sweep, a joint federal-state-local action in Onondaga County. Officials say the fentanyl recovered alone could have killed 180,000 people.August 6, 20262 min read
newsmatopioidAuburn Providers Land $350,000 Federal Grant to Expand Opioid TreatmentTwo Auburn-based providers — a community health center and a state-licensed outpatient clinic — have been jointly awarded $350,000 in federal funding to expand medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder in rural Cayuga County.August 4, 20263 min read
newsopioidfederalDEA Moves to Ban Synthetic Kratom Compound 7-OH NationwideFederal regulators are taking emergency action against a potent synthetic opioid derived from kratom, with implications for New York's smoke shops and online retailers.July 6, 20264 min read
newsopioidpolicyCVS, Walgreens and Walmart Just Won a Major Opioid Lawsuit—What It Means for the Future of Pharmacy AccountabilityIn a significant legal victory for major pharmacy retailers, a Florida judge has dismissed a $2 billion lawsuit brought by 16 hospitals against CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart.May 28, 20265 min read
newsoverdoseopioidNew York Overdose Deaths Plunged 45% in Three Years. Here's What Actually Worked.New provisional CDC data reveals New York's drug fatalities dropped for a third consecutive year, declining 44.9% since 2022—translating to more than 5,000 lives saved.May 26, 20265 min read
newsopioidtreatmentNew York Issues Urgent Warning on Kratom and 7-OH: What Users Need to KnowState health officials are raising alarms about kratom and its potent derivative 7-hydroxymitragynine as new data shows a 1,200% increase in poison center calls.May 21, 20265 min read
newssettlementfundingPurdue Pharma Is Shut Down Forever. New York Just Secured $250 Million for Addiction Treatment.The company that made OxyContin and fueled the opioid crisis is now defunct. New York Attorney General Letitia James secured $250 million for the state as part of a historic $7.4 billion settlement that bars the Sackler family from the opioid business forever.May 4, 20265 min read
newsfundingfederalTrump Administration Terminates Hundreds of SAMHSA Grants, Threatening Addiction Treatment NationwideFederal funding cuts to SAMHSA grants put overdose prevention, naloxone distribution, and peer recovery programs at risk across the United States. The terminations affect programs that millions of Americans rely on.April 20, 20264 min read
NnewsopioidfundingNew York Airs Statewide Documentary Showing Where Billions in Opioid Settlement Funds Are GoingA new 30-minute documentary produced by OASAS is airing statewide this month, revealing where hundreds of millions in opioid settlement dollars are going—and putting faces to the crisis through personal stories of loss, survival, and recovery.March 30, 20267 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
newsopioidrecoveryNew York Airs Rare Statewide TV Program on Opioid Crisis — Here's What It ShowsA 30-minute program airing across New York this month gives the public an inside look at how the state is using hundreds of millions in opioid settlement money—and tells the stories of New Yorkers who've lived through addiction and recovery.March 19, 20267 min read
researchtreatmentoverdoseFederal Study Shows Ozempic and Weight-Loss Drugs Cut Addiction Deaths by Half—What It Means for New YorkFederal researchers report the first medication that works against addiction to alcohol, opioids, nicotine, cocaine and cannabis simultaneously. The unexpected finding came from diabetes and weight-loss drugs already prescribed to millions.March 18, 20268 min read
opioidfentanyloverdoseFederal Lab Develops New Drug That Could Cut Fentanyl Overdose Recovery Time in HalfLawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have developed subetadex, a new compound that cuts fentanyl overdose recovery time from 35 to 17 minutes and remains active in the body for 7.5 hours — compared to Narcan's 30-80 minutes.March 3, 20268 min read
telehealthbuprenorphineopioidFederal Rule Lets Doctors Prescribe Addiction Medication Over Video Calls Through End of 2026Federal agencies extended telehealth flexibilities for prescribing buprenorphine—a medication to treat opioid use disorder—through the end of 2026, allowing New Yorkers to access addiction treatment remotely without an initial office visit.March 2, 20264 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
settlementfundingnycNew York City to Receive $48 Million From Purdue Pharma-Sackler Settlement as Litigation Moves ForwardNew York City committed to a new Purdue Pharma-Sackler family settlement that will funnel approximately $48 million to the city — adding to the roughly $50 million annually the Adams administration already receives from major opioid settlements.February 25, 20264 min read
deep-diveopioidsettlementWhere Are New York's Opioid Settlement Millions Going? Watchdogs Say the State Won't Tell ThemDrug policy experts and advisory board members say OASAS is stonewalling transparency efforts around $1.5 billion in opioid settlement funds, refusing to disclose basic information required by law.February 23, 20269 min read
deep-diveopioidtreatmentMethadone Treatment Tripled Since 2010, But Most New Yorkers With Opioid Use Disorder Still Can't Get ItNew research reveals methadone treatment has tripled since 2010, yet three out of four people with opioid use disorder receive no medication at all. A pending federal bill could change how New Yorkers access this life-saving treatment.February 20, 20268 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
opioidfundingtreatmentRochester Just Got a New Opioid Clinic. Here's Where New York's Settlement Billions Are Going.New York has distributed more opioid settlement money than any other state. A new clinic in Rochester shows what that looks like on the ground — and a transparency controversy shows what it doesn't.February 17, 20268 min read
