WEATHER ALERT
How opioid prescriptions to Medicaid patients in Florida stack up
Read full article: How opioid prescriptions to Medicaid patients in Florida stack upAlmost 20 years after the first wave of opioid overdose deaths in the U.S., more than 75% of drug overdose fatalities were connected to opioid use in 2021, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prescription Predicament: Dealing with the fallout from drug shortages
Read full article: Prescription Predicament: Dealing with the fallout from drug shortagesMillions of people in the U.S. depend on prescription drugs to manage pain, treat medical conditions, and even to help them stay alive. But the country’s drug shortage is making it hard for some people to get the medication they need or pay for the drugs that are available.
TELL US: What tricks do you have to save money on prescription drugs?
Read full article: TELL US: What tricks do you have to save money on prescription drugs?A Senate committee grilled top executives of three major pharmaceutical companies Thursday, asking why Americans are paying more for prescription drugs than other countries?
Senate committee: Why do Americans pay more for prescriptions than people in other countries?
Read full article: Senate committee: Why do Americans pay more for prescriptions than people in other countries?The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is set to hold a hearing Thursday morning that is titled “Why Does the United States Pay, by Far, the Highest Prices in the World for Prescription Drugs?”
Clay County sheriff on fentanyl and drug epidemic: ‘It’s a battle we can’t stop fighting’
Read full article: Clay County sheriff on fentanyl and drug epidemic: ‘It’s a battle we can’t stop fighting’A recent arrest of a 25-year-old man accused of being a fentanyl dealer and trafficker in Clay County is putting the spotlight on the drug epidemic plaguing many communities.
Harm Reduction: Is it saving lives, or helping enable addicts?
Read full article: Harm Reduction: Is it saving lives, or helping enable addicts?Drug use continues to be an issue across the country. But one of the solutions is harm reduction. It can be a controversial topic as some say it’s enabling people to use drugs, but others say it’s saving lives.
‘I call these murder pills’: Volusia County drug bust keeps over 200 grams of fentanyl off the streets
Read full article: ‘I call these murder pills’: Volusia County drug bust keeps over 200 grams of fentanyl off the streetsA long-term drug bust investigation led to the arrest of multiple people accused of distributing several kilos of fentanyl in Volusia County.
Newest drug to hit the streets makes its way to Northeast Florida nightclubs, bars
Read full article: Newest drug to hit the streets makes its way to Northeast Florida nightclubs, barsThe Drug Enforcement Administration is issuing a warning about the latest drug that has made its way to Northeast Florida streets.
Man sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted murder and human trafficking
Read full article: Man sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted murder and human traffickingThe State Attorneys Office says Zakariya Clarke, 29, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted murder and human trafficking. Clarke was accused of pimping multiple young women into prostitution, getting them addicted to drugs.
Fentanyl testing strips now legal in Florida after being classified as ‘drug paraphernalia’
Read full article: Fentanyl testing strips now legal in Florida after being classified as ‘drug paraphernalia’Fentanyl test strips are now legal in the state of Florida after a bill signing this week formally decriminalizing the strips.
DEA nationwide drug operation seizes over 540K fake fentanyl pills, more than 100 arrests in Florida
Read full article: DEA nationwide drug operation seizes over 540K fake fentanyl pills, more than 100 arrests in FloridaThe U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced Friday the results of a yearlong operation called “Operation Last Mile,” which targeted the distribution of drugs in America.
I-TEAM: Mother warns parents about laced cookies she says caused son to have seizures
Read full article: I-TEAM: Mother warns parents about laced cookies she says caused son to have seizuresA warning from a local high school student and his mother. The 16-year-old unknowingly ingested a cookie laced with drugs, and he has had a full week of epileptic seizures.
I-TEAM: Arrest of former DEA task force officer has possible ties to the arrest of FHP trooper
Read full article: I-TEAM: Arrest of former DEA task force officer has possible ties to the arrest of FHP trooperThe I-TEAM has been digging into the allegations against a former Nassau County Sergeant, who was also a DEA task force officer, and found possible ties to another drug investigation resulting in the arrest of a longtime Florida Highway Patrol trooper.
Drug Take Back events play ‘huge role’ in keeping potentially harmful drugs off streets
Read full article: Drug Take Back events play ‘huge role’ in keeping potentially harmful drugs off streetsCountless potentially harmful drugs are now out of cabinets -- and off the streets-- thanks to the DEA's Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.
Cracking the Code: I-TEAM helps parents decipher emojis used by teens to hide drug use
Read full article: Cracking the Code: I-TEAM helps parents decipher emojis used by teens to hide drug useDrug dealers have been talking in code for years out of fear law enforcement might be listening to their conversations. But now, your teenager’s cellphone is making it easier than ever to communicate using emojis as code words for drugs.
Westside High School student arrested for having a loaded gun and drugs on school grounds
Read full article: Westside High School student arrested for having a loaded gun and drugs on school groundsDuval County Schools confirmed that a student from Westside High School was arrested Friday for having a gun and drugs on school grounds.
St. Augustine mother brings awareness to the dangers of fentanyl after daughter dies from accidental exposure
Read full article: St. Augustine mother brings awareness to the dangers of fentanyl after daughter dies from accidental exposureA St. Augustine mom is speaking up about fentanyl deaths after her daughter died in May from being unknowingly exposed to the deadly drug.
DEA issues warning over ‘rainbow fentanyl’ targeting young Americans
Read full article: DEA issues warning over ‘rainbow fentanyl’ targeting young AmericansThe Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a nationwide warning over what it’s referring to as “rainbow fentanyl,” which as the name implies, is brightly colored and appears to resemble hard candy.
Grieving family warns of fake pills after losing 28-year-old to fentanyl overdose
Read full article: Grieving family warns of fake pills after losing 28-year-old to fentanyl overdoseLast year the Drug Enforcement Administration seized 20 million fake pills and four out of 10 of those pills that had fentanyl contained a potentially lethal dose.
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office: stolen IDs, debit cards & drugs seized during traffic stop
Read full article: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office: stolen IDs, debit cards & drugs seized during traffic stopFlagler County Sheriff deputies arrested a 37-year-old man after a traffic stop revealed stolen IDs, debit cards and drugs.
🚀💣💥Decoding emojis dealers are using to sell drugs to young people
Read full article: 🚀💣💥Decoding emojis dealers are using to sell drugs to young peopleSince the "One Pill Can Kill" campaign began, federal agents who gather intel on drug distribution have been working behind the scenes to decode emojis found in both social media and text communications between drug dealers and young people.
The unexpected winner on election night? Drugs
Read full article: The unexpected winner on election night? DrugsWhile we may not know if President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election for a while longer, there was one clear “winner” on election night, and that was recreational drugs. States across the country have been legalizing recreational marijuana every election cycle, and 2020 was no different. Residents in New Jersey, Arizona, Montana and South Dakota all voted to legalize recreational cannabis, and South Dakota also legalized medical marijuana, along with Mississippi. South Dakota became the first state to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in the same election. For the first time in U.S. history, the state of Oregon decriminalized possession of hard drugs, as well as voted to legalize psychedelic mushrooms.
Clay County, DEA investigation gets 20 pounds of crystal meth off area streets
Read full article: Clay County, DEA investigation gets 20 pounds of crystal meth off area streetsJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A joint operation between the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency has led to 20 pounds of near-pure crystal methamphetamine tied to Mexican drug cartels being taken off area streets. A major crystal meth bust has netted approximately 20 pounds of the drug and more than $32,000 in cash. He was accused of distributing kilogram-sized quantities of crystal meth in both Clay and Duval counties. “We learned of one of these individuals as a major meth dealer here in the area," said DEA agent Matt Dubet. “This particular meth seizure was 98% pure crystal meth,” he said.
Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton returns home after 60-day patrol
Read full article: Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton returns home after 60-day patrolThe Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton (WMSL-753) returned home Friday to Charleston after completing a 60-day patrol throughout the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a release. The release said that Hamiltons crew interdicted nine drug-laden vessels while patrolling the Eastern Pacific Ocean. We are proud to support the Presidents national security strategy by keeping illegal drugs off American streets, Captain Timothy Cronin, commanding officer of Hamilton, said. Our efforts also degrade transnational criminal organizations, bring stability to Central America, and increase interoperability with our partner nations. I am extremely proud of this crew how they managed to sail short-handed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and still deliver tremendous results.The Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton is one of two 418-foot National Security Cutters (NSC) homeported in Charleston.
Over-prescribing opioids has fueled the opioid crisis
Read full article: Over-prescribing opioids has fueled the opioid crisisOver-prescribing opioids has fueled the opioid crisisPublished: November 5, 2019, 6:16 pmBut doctors are now finding innovative ways to reduce us and abuse, including new moms