Tag Archives: drugs

The Associated Press reports: More companies could begin making an easy-to-use version of an opioid overdose antidote under a deal announced Thursday by New York’s attorney general. Under the agreement, Emergent BioSolutions will no longer enforce a contract that had allowed it to be the only company to develop a nasal spray version of the drug nalmefene for use as …

USA Today reports: It’s a new year and, for Illinois, a new era of recreational marijuana. Weed dispensaries across the state opened their doors before sunrise Wednesday, welcoming long lines of customers — some who had been waiting since 4 a.m. “Cheers to lighting up the start of 2020!” one dispensary, Sunnyside, wrote on its Facebook page. Under Illinois law, …

Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post reports: A Fox Business reporter was busted last week trying to sneak a glass crack pipe into the federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan, sources and law enforcement told The Post. Lawrence Crook III was on his way into the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse at 500 Pearl St. to cover the Sprint/T-Mobile merger trial on Dec. …

The New York Times reports: As scrutiny of Purdue Pharma’s role in the opioid epidemic intensified during the past dozen years, its owners, members of the Sackler family, withdrew more than $10 billion from the company, distributing it among trusts and overseas holding companies, according to a new audit commissioned by Purdue. The amount is more than eight times what …

Courthouse News reports: Senator Bernie Sanders on Friday proposed nationwide legalization of marijuana, to “end the horrifically destructive war on drugs,” that he said “disproportionately targeted people of color and ruined the lives of millions of Americans.” “We’re going to legalize marijuana and end the horrifically destructive war on drugs,” Sanders said in a statement, promising to use executive action …

The New York Times reports: Ed Buck, a Democratic donor and activist whose West Hollywood apartment was the scene of two methamphetamine overdose deaths since 2017, was arrested on Tuesday after investigators said a third man suffered an overdose in his home last week. Mr. Buck, 65, who has not faced charges for the earlier overdoses but was subject to …

The New York Times reports: Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, the drug widely seen as igniting the opioid crisis, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday night, a move at the center of the company’s efforts to shield itself and its owners from more than 2,600 federal and state lawsuits. The terms of the filing, which include a proposed resolution …

The Associated Press reports: The family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma used Swiss and other hidden accounts to transfer $1 billion to themselves, New York state’s attorney general contends in court papers filed Friday. New York — asking a judge to enforce subpoenas of companies, banks and advisers to Purdue and its owners, the Sackler family — said it …

The Associated Press reports: Attorneys for some 2,000 local governments say they have agreed to a tentative settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over the toll of the nation’s opioid crisis. Attorney Paul Farrell said in a text message Wednesday that they have agreed to a deal that has been on the table for several weeks. Sources with direct knowledge …

Politico reports: The surgeon general Thursday issued an advisory cautioning young people and pregnant people against using marijuana, warning it poses risks to developing brains. HHS officials said the best science available suggests no amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or for youth is known to be safe. Surgeon General Jerome Adams’ advisory was the first his office issued on …

Bloomberg reports: McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen Corp. have proposed paying $10 billion to settle claims they helped to fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic — the first sign of progress in resolving state lawsuits against the drug distributors, according to people familiar with negotiations. The companies, which deliver the majority of prescription medications to U.S. pharmacies, made the verbal …

The Albany Times-Union reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Monday that further decriminalizes marijuana use in New York. The bill was introduced by Democrats in the waning hours of the recent legislative session after it became clear that full legalization of recreational use would not happen this year. It was seen as a compromise between parties who were opposed to …

Politico reports: Vice President Mike Pence was one short plane ride away from shaking hands with an alleged interstate drug dealer. Pence abruptly canceled his trip to Manchester, N.H., earlier this month but never said why he was pulled from Air Force Two at the last minute. Jeff Hatch, who agreed in federal court Friday to plead guilty and will …

The Daily Beast reports: Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the Mexican drug lord convicted of running “the largest drug-trafficking organization in the world,” was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years on Wednesday. Guzman, the 62-year-old former leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, was found guilty in February of all 10 counts brought against him after six days of deliberations. Guzman …

The Associated Press reports: Illinois’ new governor delivered on a top campaign promise Tuesday by signing legislation that makes the state the 11th to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use and the second to approve it through the Legislature rather than the ballot box. Legalization in Illinois also means that nearly 800,000 people with criminal records for purchasing …

According to former NBA star Lamar Odom’s new memoir, he panicked about his “daily” weed smoking when he learned he’d be drug-tested after making the 2004 US Olympic basketball team. People Magazine reports: “We started googling ‘fake penises’ and studied different ways to beat a drug test,” he writes. “After an exhaustive search we ordered a giant, rubber, black cock …

CNN reports: Joe Biden supports decriminalizing marijuana, a Biden campaign spokesman told CNN, but the former vice president isn’t going as far as calling for the drug to be legalized on the federal level. “Nobody should be in jail for smoking marijuana,” Biden told voters at a Tuesday house party in Nashua, New Hampshire. Asked by CNN if the former …

The Denver Post reports: Denver is poised to become the first city in the nation to effectively decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms. After trailing in results postings Tuesday night and early Wednesday, final unofficial results showed a reversal of fortune — with Initiative 301 set to pass narrowly with 50.6 percent of the vote. The total stands at 89,320 votes in favor …

Axios reports: The Trump administration finalized a rule Wednesday that will require pharmaceutical companies to post the list prices of their drugs in TV commercials. The drug industry may sue to block the rule, and many people are skeptical that publishing prices in ads would help patients or successfully shame drugmakers into lowering their prices. But the rule is another …

CBS News reports: As people around the country mark 4/20 — the unofficial holiday celebrating marijuana — U.S. officials have released new guidance around marijuana for immigrants hoping to earn U.S. citizenship. Officials said Friday that immigrants involved with cannabis in any way — even in states where it has been legalized — could disqualify them from naturalization. New guidance …