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Sharp Rise In Fentanyl Poisoning Among US Children Revealed In New Study Sharp Rise In Fentanyl Poisoning Among US Children Revealed In New Study
Sharp Rise In Fentanyl Poisoning Among US Children Revealed In New Study A new study has revealed a staggering surge in fentanyl poisonings among children and teens across the US, with cases skyrocketing by more than 1,100 percent between 2015 and 2023. The findings, published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, highlight the growing threat posed by the deadly synthetic opioid, particularly as counterfeit pills flood the illicit market. The study examined nonfatal fentanyl exposures reported to US poison centers from 2015 to 2023, analyzing cases involving children and adolescents aged 0–19.  Researchers found a dramatic increase in poisonin…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Yonkers Man Sells Opioid Three Times Stronger Than Fentanyl, Feds Say Yonkers Man Sells Opioid Three Times Stronger Than Fentanyl, Feds Say
Yonkers Man Sells Opioid Three Times Stronger Than Fentanyl, Feds Say Two men, including one from Westchester County, face federal charges for allegedly selling a narcotic up to three times stronger than fentanyl, officials announced.  Yonkers resident Miguel de Jesus Reyes Medina, age 49, and Camden, NJ resident Erik Alberto Lopez Valdez, age 38, were arrested on Thursday, July 18 on drug distribution charges, the US Attorney's Office for Southern District of New York announced.  According to federal officials, in April 2024, Reyes Medina agreed to sell fentanyl to an undercover agent working with law enforcement, reportedly asking f…

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by Ben Crnic
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Warning Issued In Hudson Valley For Counterfeit Oxycodone Pills Containing Fentanyl Warning Issued In Hudson Valley For Counterfeit Oxycodone Pills Containing Fentanyl
Warning Issued In Hudson Valley For Counterfeit Oxycodone Pills Containing Fentanyl Authorities in the Hudson Valley are warning residents of the increased presence of fentanyl in the area, in particular counterfeit 30mg oxycodone pills containing the dangerous drug. Since January 2022, the Dutchess County Drug Task Force has seized several thousand counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl through investigations conducted in the Dutchess County area, Det. Sgt. Adam Harris, coordinator of the task force. In September 2022 alone, the task force seized more than 2,000 counterfeit prescription pills. These pills are typically light blue in color and imprinted “M-30” …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
'Rainbow Fentanyl' Made To Look Like Candy Being Sold To Children, DEA Warns 'Rainbow Fentanyl' Made To Look Like Candy Being Sold To Children, DEA Warns
'Rainbow Fentanyl' Made To Look Like Candy Being Sold To Children, DEA Warns Brightly-colored fentanyl made to look like candy is being sold to children and young people, the Drug Enforcement Administration warns.  The DEA and law enforcement partners seized some of the brightly-colored fentanyl in 18 states in the month of August 2022.  “Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes—is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.   “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentan…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
'Gone Forever': Yonkers Mom Recounts Teen's Overdose On 'Red Table Talk' 'Gone Forever': Yonkers Mom Recounts Teen's Overdose On 'Red Table Talk'
'Gone Forever': Yonkers Mom Recounts Teen's Overdose On 'Red Table Talk' A mother from Westchester County is opening up about losing her teenage daughter to an accidental fentanyl overdose. Despina Prodromidis, of Yonkers, recently sat down with actress Jada Pinkett Smith on her streaming show, Red Table Talk, for an episode centered around the national fentanyl epidemic. (View a clip of the segment below) Through tears, Prodromidis recounted the unimaginable moment on Easter 2021 when doctors informed her that her 15-year-old daughter, Olivia Green, had died after taking a counterfeit Percocet. "I was like, 'Is Olivia okay?' and they just put their heads dow…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
More Than Half Of NYers Personally Touched By Opioid Abuse, Poll Finds More Than Half Of NYers Personally Touched By Opioid Abuse, Poll Finds
More Than Half Of NYers Personally Touched By Opioid Abuse, Poll Finds Nearly one of every four New Yorkers personally know of someone, a family member, friend or acquaintance that has died due to an opioid overdose, according to a new Siena College poll. After measuring those who have an immediate or extended family member -- or someone they know through work -- who has abused opioids, 54 percent have been touched by the epidemic involving painkillers, the poll found.  Eighty percent of state residents agree that our country is in the middle of an opioid crisis and 83 percent think the problem of opioid abuse has gotten worse over the past few years.  A vast…

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by Jon Craig