Mississippi To Decriminalize Fentanyl Testing Kits

AP: Fentanyl Testing Materials Will Be Legalized In Mississippi 
Mississippi will decriminalize materials that allow people to test illegal drugs to detect if they are spiked with fentanyl, a highly powerful synthetic opioid painkiller. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 722 on Monday, and it becomes law July 1. (3/15)

Fox News: Texas Senate Unanimously Passes Bill Allowing Fentanyl Distributors To Be Charged With Murder
The Texas Senate passed a "Combating Fentanyl" bill Wednesday that would open the door for state prosecutors to charge fentanyl distributors with murder. Senate Bill 645, introduced by Sen. Joan Huffman, a Republican representing the Houston area, would change the classification of drug overdoses to "poisonings," according to the Texas Tribune. (Richard, 3/16)

AP: Mexican President Floats Fentanyl Ban, Faults US Drug Policy 
Mexico’s president called anti-drug policies in the U.S. a failure Wednesday and proposed a ban on using fentanyl in medicine — even though little of the drug crosses from hospitals into the illegal market. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has grappled in recent days with the issue of fentanyl, which has become a major security concern. López Obrador has denied that Mexico produces fentanyl, which causes about 70,000 U.S. overdose deaths per year. (3/15)

More on the opioid crisis —

KRON4: Thirteen Inmates Overdose On Fentanyl In California Jail In One Week
Thirteen inmates overdosed on fentanyl at Elmwood Correctional Facility, and three staff members were impacted after being exposed to the drug while treating the inmates, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. (Gaines, 3/15)

USA Today: They Previously Worked With The DEA. Now, They're Facing Drug Charges.
Two Florida law enforcement officers who have worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration are now facing drug charges, according to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Both 44-year-old Joshua Earrey and 37-year-old James Darrell Hickox, who combine for nearly 40 years of law enforcement experience, have been charged, the district said. They were accused of buying or confiscating drugs from DEA sources or suspects and, in the case of Hickox, selling the narcotics, court documents show. (Martin, 3/15)

NPR: Synthetic Opioids Threaten Communities Including The Cherokee Nation In Oklahoma 
The fentanyl-opioid crisis is hitting young people hard and some of the highest death rates are in Native American communities. The Cherokee Nation is working to help families recover. (Mann, 3/16)

NPR: Are Harsher Fentanyl Sentences The Solution To The Opiate Crisis? Experts Say No
It's a cold winter night in Patterson, New Jersey. There's still snow on the ground from the latest storm, and on a corner, under the neon lights of a liquor store, a group of people are gathered. Some are homeless, many are opioid users, and most have had brushes with death. "I just lost a good friend of mine right now. It hurts," says Rob De Maria. He is a boyish young man, with dimples and dark circles under his eyes. De Maria says he lived out here for two years while addicted to opiates. He's now tapering off, he says, because it got too scary for him. (Garsd, 3/14)

In news about marijuana and alcohol use —

AP: 8 Children Sickened At LA School After Eating Marijuana
Eight children were sickened at a Los Angeles school on Wednesday after eating marijuana gummies, authorities said. (3/15)

OPB: Illegal Substances Are Part Of Addiction Problem In Oregon, But Alcohol Is Biggest Killer 
“Alcohol is the great dirty little secret of the pandemic,” said Dr. Robin Henderson, the chief executive for behavioral health for the Providence health system in Oregon. She said alcohol is a significant cause of visits to Providence emergency departments. “We put a lot of effort into the opioid crisis and I don’t mean to diminish that at all, but we’re not having those same conversations about alcohol,” Henderson said. (Templeton, 3/15)