Minnesota's Opioid Epidemic

Stories of addiction, loss and recovery amid a public health crisis that has hit epidemic proportions.
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April 18, 2021 1:33 PM

Critics say Chauvin defense 'weaponized' stigma for Black Americans with addiction

Derek Chauvin's defense has suggested George Floyd's drug use might have made him more "volatile" and unpredictable, justifying the use of force. Critics say Floyd needed health care and compassion.

by Brian Mann

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March 28, 2021 7:15 AM

As U.S. corporations face reckoning over prescription opioids, CEOs keep cashing in

Some companies that sold or distributed opioid medications face a wave of lawsuits, have filed for bankruptcy, or find themselves on the hook for billions of dollars in settlements. But CEOs and other top executives keep getting rewarded.

by Brian Mann

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January 15, 2021 4:00 AM

'Two pandemics’: Drug overdoses spike, stretching help even further

When all the data is in, 2020 is likely to be the deadliest year in American history for drug overdoses. Preliminary federal and state numbers show that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for people who use drugs to stay alive and healthy. It's also taxing the advocates and organizations who work to keep them safe.

by Jon Collins

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February 16, 2020 9:37 AM

5 years after Indiana's historic HIV outbreak, many rural places remain at risk

Fewer than a third of the 220 counties deemed by the federal government as vulnerable to similar outbreaks have active syringe exchange programs, which make clean needles available to drug users and have been found to reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.

by Laura Ungar

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October 20, 2019 10:10 AM

Partisan divide grows over opioid settlement plan

While most Republican attorneys general embrace Purdue Pharma's structured bankruptcy plan, all but two Democratic attorneys general reject it. "This is a moral issue for them," one expert says.

by Brian Mann

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June 3, 2016 4:00 AM

Prince's death another loss in a decades-long opioid overdose epidemic

The superstar died from an overdose of fentanyl, an opioid drug. The news makes him a high-profile victim among tens of thousands of others who die of opioid overdoses annually.

by Jon Collins

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April 28, 2016 12:00 AM

MPR News Special Report: Opioid abuse epidemic

Stories of the people affected by the opioid epidemic, and MPR News hosts Cathy Wurzer and Tom Crann interview Minnesota experts. One of the most staggering aspects of the epidemic is that, for many, drug abuse starts with legal painkillers. MPR reporter Jon Collins is the reporter and producer of this special report.