opioid

BOSTON (AP) _ All six New England governors say fighting the social stigma associated with addiction is key to battling the opioid crisis raging across the region, claiming thousands of lives. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker participated at the Harvard Medical School forum Tuesday with Vermont Gov...

Opioid deaths are clearly on the rise in Massachusetts and several Southcoast towns are among the those with the highest numbers of them.

BOSTON (AP) _ The Massachusetts House and Senate have given final approval to a wide-ranging effort to address the state's deadly opioid addiction crisis. The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved the bill that would limit initial painkiller prescriptions to a seven-day supply and set an evaluation requirement within 24 hours for overdose victims seeking help at hospital emergency rooms... Read

The discussion on solving opioid abuse continued on Wednesday night at the Dartmouth Middle School. Professionals from different fields lead the forum by speaking about their experience with drug addicts, and how to possibley help break the habbit...

Mayor Jon Mitchell says a bill forged by the House and Senate to curb opioid abuse is good progress. The bill, pending approval by the Legislature and the Governor, would limit opioid prescriptions to a seven-day supply for each script...

The Town of Dartmouth has assembled a panel to publicly discuss the local effects of and possible solutions to the opioid epidemic. Dartmouth Police Detective Kyle Costa says Wednesday night's discussion will ask some key questions. "What can we do not only to address these issues, but also prevent them from really taking hold of the community even moreso...

When it comes to the opioid epidemic throughout the nation, almost any suggestion to fix the problem is welcome. This week, the mayor of Ithaca, New York, proposed opening a facility where heroin addicts could take the drug under supervision, hopefully curbing the amount of overdoses in the community...

Proposed legislation in the Massachusetts House would somewhat expand Gloucester's police department policy of not charging people who willfully turn in their drugs and paraphernalia. The bill proposed by Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Gloucester would protect addicts seeking recovery from prosecution in hopes of encouraging them to get the help they need...

As part of his budget proposal, President Obama is including $1.1 billion to address the nation's opioid epidemic. Congressman William Keating says he's glad the problem is being addressed in a large way by the administration. Speaking on "The Taylor Cormier Show, Keating says if the proposal is approved, $920 million would go toward community-based programs that already exist, which he says

The New Bedford City Council began the new year with a discussion on the SouthCoast's opioid crisis and how surrounding communities need to address it.