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WNPR Covers Connecticut's Opioid Epidemic

Credit Mark Wragg/iStock / Thinkstock
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Thinkstock

The nation is in the midst of a crisis as heroin and other opioids are causing deaths to rise.

The issue is complicated, as it involves not just addiction and users, but also fine-tuning the best practices of both law enforcement and the medical profession.

Below, find coverage of these topics and more from WNPR's reporters and talk shows.

Most Recent

VA Steps Up Efforts To Help Veterans Fighting Opioid Addiction
by Peggy McCarthy, September 26, 2017

Waterbury Sues Drug Companies Over Opioid Epidemic
by Harriet Jones, September 5, 2017

Powerful Opioid Fentanyl Leading Overdose Death Rates In Connecticut
by Ray Hardman and Patrick Skahill, August 30, 2017

Connecticut Overdose Deaths Projected To Break 1,000 This Year
by Harriet Jones, August 28, 2017

Educating Doctors On Opioid Prescriptions Important To Addiction Prevention
by Ray Hardman, August 21, 2017

Standing Up To Addiction: Advice From A Connecticut Man In Recovery
Where We Live, August 18, 2017

Connecticut Initiative Aims To Stem Rising Addiction Trend In Teen Girls
by Harriet Jones, August 15, 2017

The Directly Affected

Powerful Opioid Fentanyl Leading Overdose Death Rates In Connecticut
by Ray Hardman and Patrick Skahill, August 30, 2017

Connecticut Overdose Deaths Projected To Break 1,000 ThisYear
by Harriet Jones, August 28, 2017

Standing Up To Addiction: Advice From A Connecticut Man In Recovery
Where We Live, August 18, 2017

Drug Overdose Deaths Continue To Climb In Connecticut
by Patrick Skahill, February 27, 2017

A Connecticut Family's Journey From Addiction To Advocacy
Where We Live, February 2, 2017

Drug Overdose Deaths Continue To Climb In New England
by Patrick Skahill, January 4, 2017

Groton Man Involved in Opioid Recovery Effort Shot Dead
by Harriet Jones, December 12, 2016

Watch: Montville Community Holds Vigil for Victims of Heroin Overdose
by Ryan Caron King, December 2, 2016

Remembering Hartford's Sherwood Taylor, a Voice of Addiction Recovery and Survival
by Ryan Caron King, November 22, 2016

Heroin Addicts Give Up Civil Rights in Exchange for Treatment
by Karen Brown of NEPR, October 26, 2016

Special Multimedia Story: Making Space for Sobriety
by Ryan Caron King, October 7, 2016

How One Agency Is Improving Conditions in Connecticut's Sober Houses
by Ryan Caron King, October 4, 2016

The Color of Addiction: Stories of Race, Response, and Recovery
Where We Live, October 3, 2016

Special Multimedia Story: One Hartford Man Braves Recovery After Nearly 60 Years of Addiction
by Ryan Caron King, August 2, 2016

Connecticut Mothers Discuss Efforts to Combat Opioid Epidemic
Where We Live, June 16, 2016

The High Cost of Rehab: Supporting Families Through the Heroin Crisis
by Harriet Jones, May 18, 2016

For Patients Suffering From Heroin Addiction, Suboxone Can Provide One Road Out 
by Patrick Skahill, May 17, 2016 

"There's No Beds Available": Sharing Addiction Stories in New London
by Harriet Jones, February 17, 2016

Vigil Draws Hundreds in New London to Offer Support During Heroin Epidemic
by Harriet Jones, February 5, 2016

Insurers Often Don't Cover Residential Rehab
by Lucy Nalpathanchil, March 21, 2014

Few Residential Treatment Programs for Connecticut Adolescents
by Lucy Nalpathanchil, March 20, 2014

Addiction: A Guilford Family's Story
by Lucy Nalpathanchil, March 19, 2014

Families of Drug Addicts Want Access to Overdose Medicine, Narcan
by Lucy Nalpathanchil, May 1, 2012

Emergency Responses

VA Steps Up Efforts To Help Veterans Fighting Opioid Addiction
by Peggy McCarthy, September 26, 2017

Police Rethink Tactics In Light Of Opioid Exposure Risk
by Martin Kaste, June 1, 2017

Rising Price of a Life-Saving Drug Complicates Efforts to Combat Heroin
by Patrick Skahill, December 8, 2016

More Children Being Hospitalized for Opioid Poisoning
by Diane Orson, November 2, 2016

Demand for Naloxone Varies, as Number of Pharmacists Prescribing It Grows
by Patrick Skahill, October 3, 2016

State Environmental Police Now Better Prepared to Combat Opioid Overdoses
by Patrick Skahill, September 8, 2016

As Accidental Drug Deaths Continue, Fentanyl Plays Big Role
by Jeff Cohen, September 7, 2016

Drug Overdose Kits Distributed in New Haven
by Lori Mack, September 1, 2016

Special Multimedia Story: Advocate Builds "Underground Network" of Heroin Users to Fight Overdose Deaths
by Ryan Caron King, August 2, 2016

Inside the Network of Heroin Users Fighting Overdose Deaths in Hartford 
by Ryan Caron King, June 30, 2016

Lawrence and Memorial Donates Narcan to Frontline Police Officers
by Harriet Jones, May 17, 2016

New London Health Officials Issue Heroin Warning After Multiple Overdoses
by Harriet Jones, January 29, 2016

New Connecticut Law Expands Access to Antidote for Heroin Overdoses
by Ray Hardman, August 13, 2015

AIDS Connecticut Distributes Opioid Overdose Drug to Injecting Drug Users
by Diane Orson, February 27, 2015

In Connecticut, a Summit to Explore, and Maybe Expand Narcan Use
by Patrick Skahill, May 30, 2014

Connecticut Braces for Powerful, Potentially Deadly Form of Heroin
by Ray Hardman, May 13, 2016 

Five More Heroin Overdose Cases in Southeastern Connecticut
by Harriet Jones, January 31, 2016

U.S. Attorney General Suggests Police Carry Narcan
by Lucy Nalpathanchil, March 10, 2014

Demand for Heroin in Connecticut Keeps Cops and Counselors Busy
by Lucy Nalpathanchil, February 11, 2014

Early Intervention

Educating Doctors On Opioid Prescriptions Important To Addiction Prevention
by Ray Hardman, August 21, 2017

Connecticut Initiative Aims To Stem Rising Addiction Trend In Teen Girls
by Harriet Jones, August 15, 2017

It's Genetic: The Risk of Becoming an Addict
Where We Live, November 14, 2016

Drug Education Programs Shifting From Scare Tactics to Peer Mentoring
by Diane Orson and David Desroches, October 6, 2016

Pilot Program in New Haven Focuses on Addiction Treatment for Inmates
by Lori Mack, October 5, 2016

Connecticut Surgeons Unite To Seek Alternatives to Opioids
by Patrick Skahill, August 24, 2016

It's Genetic: The Risk of Becoming an Addict 
Where We Live, August 22, 2016

Tackling Drug Abuse — What's the Role of Schools?
Where We Live, August 15, 2016

New Haven Community Gets Lesson on Overdose Prevention
by Lori Mack, July 1, 2016

Leftover Pills Are Plentiful, and Disposal Options Unclear, Survey Finds
by Patrick Skahill, June 14, 2016

National Drug Take-Back Day Comes To Connecticut This Weekend
by Patrick Skahill, April 29, 2016

In Battle Against Opioid Epidemic, Connecticut Insurer Tries Early Intervention
by Patrick Skahill, April 28, 2016

Expanding the Reach of Addiction Treatment in Connecticut Towns
by Jeff Cohen, March 23, 2016

Under State Law, You're Unlikely to Leave Leftover Pills at Pharmacies Anytime Soon
by Patrick Skahill, March 9, 2016

Sorting Through the Confusion About Getting Rid of Leftover Pills
by Patrick Skahill, March 8, 2016

For Doctors, a Growing Awareness of the Dangers Posed By the Pills That Get Left Over
by Patrick Skahill, March 7, 2016 

Policy

Waterbury Sues Drug Companies Over Opioid Epidemic
by Harriet Jones, September 5, 2017

Addiction Experts Blast Senate Health Care Package
by Harriet Jones, June 10, 2017

Connecticut Lawmakers Unanimously Pass Opioid Legislation
by Lori Mack, June 7, 2017

Mental Health Advocates In Connecticut Condemn Republicans' Health CareBill
by Harriet Jones, May 10, 2017

Connecticut Gets Federal Grant To Combat Opioid Epidemic
by Harriet Jones, April 21, 2017

Sen. Murphy Introduces New Legislation To Combat Opioid Addiction
by Lori Mack, March 17, 2017

Housing And Health Officials Hope To Improve Integration Of HIV Care In Hartford
by Patrick Skahill, February 1, 2017

Gov. Malloy Unveils "Common Sense Approach" To Curbing Opioid Addiction, Overdose
by Ray Hardman, January 26, 2017

Connecticut Bids for Share of Opioid Recovery Funding
by Harriet Jones, December 13, 2016

Veterans Administration Addressing Opioid Abuse and Overdose
by Harriet Jones, October 28, 2016

Opioids and Heroin: From Drug War to Public Health Crisis
by Harriet Jones, October 7, 2016

Yale Doctors Develop Strategic Plan to Combat Opioid Epidemic in Connecticut
by Lori Mack, July 13, 2016

Purdue Pharma Denies Claims It Tolerated Opioid Abuses
by Harriet Jones, July 11, 2016

Connecticut Hospital Says Overdose Outreach is Missing Link in Addiction Treatment 
by Harriet Jones, June 22, 2016

Why Are So Many Suboxone Patients Buying the Drug on the Street? 
by Patrick Skahill, June 8, 2016

New England Governors Converge in Boston to Address Opioid Epidemic
by Martha Bebinger, June 8, 2016

Gov. Malloy Signs Law to Battle Opioid Addiction and Overdose
by Ray Hardman, May 27, 2016

Fentanyl Overdose Deaths in Connecticut Are Surging This Year, State Officials Say
by Diane Orson, May 21, 2016

In Opioid Crisis, Why It’s Important to Know Which Drugs Caused a Death 
by Jeff Cohen, May 16, 2016

Heroin in Connecticut; Former State Workers Discuss Layoffs; Reasons to Love the Nutmeg State
Where We Live, May 16, 2016

At the Capitol, a Push to Limit Opioid Prescriptions to Seven Days
by Patrick Skahill, March 21, 2016

Regional Roundtable: Reporters Discuss State Efforts to Combat Opioid Crisis
Where We Live, March 8, 2016

Are Opioids the Best Way to Treat Chronic Pain?
Where We Live, August 24, 2015

Heroin and the Science of Addiction
Where We Live, February 6, 2014

The Resurgence of Heroin
Where We Live, July 20, 2013