Synthetic and other drugs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published data on May 11, 2022 concluding that drug overdoses in 2021 reached the highest levels on record.  CDC stated that an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2021, largely driven by opioids.  This figure is a 15% increase over the number

The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a public safety alert on September 27, 2021 to warn Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.  Calling its public safety campaign “One Pill Can Kill,” the DEA’s first public safety alert in six years seeks to raise public

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued warnings to the public regarding the potential health risks of using Delta-8 THC products on September 14, 2021.

The FDA’s latest consumer update,  5 Things To Know About Delta-8 Tetrahydrocannabinol – Delta-8 THC, begins with a warning in large red

According to a new Quest Diagnostics Health Trends study published on October 8, 2020, the misuse of fentanyl, heroin and nonprescribed opioids has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study analyzed more than 872,000 de-identified lab results from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  The researchers compared drug positivity rates before the pandemic

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration published its 2019 National Drug Threat Assessment on January 30, 2020. The DEA’s annual report is a comprehensive strategic assessment of the threat posed to the United States by domestic and international drug trafficking and the abuse of drugs. It compiles data from many sources, including drug

Please click here to read our colleagues’ article New York State Enacted Budget Includes Opioid Legislation.  As part of the 2018-2019 New York State Budget, the Governor and the Legislature have agreed to a package of legislation addressing the opioid crisis in New York that includes requiring opioid manufacturers and distributors to help fund treatment

The drug testing panel utilized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s operating agencies will change on January 1, 2018. (Click here to read our blog post on that change).  DOT published guidance on December 1, 2017 to assist employers with regard to updating their drug and alcohol testing policies.  The guidance states as follows:

“The

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced in a rule published in the Federal Register on November 13, 2017, that, among other revisions to its drug and alcohol testing regulations, it will expand its drug testing panel to include four “semi-synthetic” opioid drugs: hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone and oxymorphone.  These changes are being made to harmonize

The Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) announced September 7, 2016 that it intends to temporarily schedule the synthetic opioid known as U-47700 on Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act because it poses an imminent hazard to the public safety. A final scheduling order will be made on or after October 7, 2016.  Schedule I

As part of the federal government’s efforts to address the opioid abuse epidemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issued a safety announcement on August 31, 2016, advising against the mixture of opioid medications and benzodiazepines. Specifically, a FDA review found that combining opioid medicines with benzodiazepines or other drugs that depress the central