Politics
U.S. Senator John Cornyn introduces bill to increase access to narcotic overdose medications
Posted on · This comes as Harris County continues to lead the state in the total number of fentanyl-related deaths.
Tag: fentanyl
Criminal Justice
Harris County DA’s office reverses low-level drug policy citing increased amount of fentanyl in seized drugs
Posted on · The DA's office will now evaluate every drug possession case, regardless of the amount of suspected narcotics, as long as probable cause is established "through the expert testimony of two officers with drug enforcement experience."
Houston Matters
How the energy industry and Houston’s environment have changed in the past decade (April 20, 2023)
Posted on · As Houston Matters prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary, we continue our series of conversations about how things in the city have and have not changed in the past decade. Today, we talk with experts about how the energy industry and concerns about the environment have changed in that time.
Politics
Senate unanimously passes a bill defining fentanyl poisoning as murder
Posted on · Houston Senator Joan Huffman authored Senate Bill 645, which would make the manufacture and delivery of less than 1 gram of fentanyl a third degree felony. The crime would rise to a second degree felony if a person dies from an overdose.
Houston Matters
Stoppping fentanyl overdoses — are some Mexican pharmacies part of the problem?
Posted on · Research shows some pharmacies catering to American tourists are selling medicine frequently laced with the opioid.
Houston Matters
Fentanyl-laced prescriptions at Mexican pharmacies (March 15, 2023)
Posted on · On Wednesday's show: We talk about a problematic element of medical tourism in Mexico, new goings-on in the world of politics, and how Houstonians use social media.
Health & Science
Bills trying to legalize fentanyl test strips flood the Texas Legislature
Posted on · Over a dozen bills have been filed by Republican and Democratic lawmakers after Gov. Abbott publicly supported lifting the ban.
Politics
What’s an emergency item? Here are Governor Abbott’s seven and why they matter
Posted on · Abbott’s top priorities for the legislative session included property tax reform, ending COVID restrictions, expanding school choice, increasing safety, tightening bail restrictions, hardening the border, and addressing the fentanyl crisis.
Criminal Justice
Fentanyl-related deaths in Harris County Jail spark demand for outside investigation
Posted on · In total, at least four people died due to drug-related causes while in custody last year, according to Harris County autopsy reports.
Health & Science
University of Houston fentanyl vaccine research a ‘game changer’, Gov. Greg Abbott says
Posted on · The UH vaccine eliminates "the high" of the drug and the possibility of overdosing.
Houston Matters
Fentanyl vaccine, and climate refugees (Dec. 2, 2022)
Posted on · On Friday's show: A new vaccine developed in Houston targeting the dangerous synthetic drug fentanyl could be a gamechanger in the opioid epidemic. And we learn how climate change could exacerbate the world's refugee crisis.
Health & Science
Researchers are developing a fentanyl vaccine that could reduce overdoses and relapses
Posted on · Fentanyl is the leading cause of opioid deaths in Texas, increasing five-fold in recent years.
Criminal Justice
As fentanyl plagues Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott directs state police to focus on cartels
Posted on · Abbott directed the Department of Public Safety to boost efforts to collect intelligence on cartels and investigate gangs in Texas that support drug and human smuggling.
News
Drugmakers Spent Millions Promoting Opioids To Patient Groups, Senate Report Says
Posted on · The report released by Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill says the cozy relationship between pain advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies may have played a key role in the opioid crisis
News
Cost Of U.S. Opioid Epidemic Since 2001 Is $1 Trillion And Climbing
Posted on · Economists tracking federal mortality data say the opioid crisis is undercutting the productivity of people in their prime working years — 30s and 40s