Prohibition Gave Us Tranq-Laced Fentanyl
Mixing other drugs with xylazine is driven by the economics of prohibition.
Fentanyl
Methanol-Tainted Liquor and Xylazine-Tainted Fentanyl Illustrate the Same Prohibitionist Peril
While the lethal effects of Iran’s booze ban are widely recognized, politicians ignore similar consequences from U.S. drug laws.
Bombing Mexican Cartels Won't Stop Fentanyl
A Republican-sponsored resolution would authorize the president to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against foreigners involved in fentanyl trafficking.
Senators Want To Declare Fentanyl a National Security Threat
Plus: SCOTUS won't hear Reddit sex trafficking case, debt deal would increase spending on SNAP benefits, and more...
Panicked by Fentanyl Analogs, Biden Embraces the Mandatory Minimums He Claims To Oppose
A House-approved bill that the president supports would expand the draconian penalties he supposedly wants to abolish.
New Senate Bill Would Turn Online Services Into Narcs
An expanded surveillance state can’t solve problems created by drug prohibition.
Prohibition Gave Us Xylazine in Fentanyl. The Solution, Drug Warriors Say, Is More Prohibition.
The emergence of the animal tranquilizer as an opioid adulterant illustrates once again how the war on drugs makes drug use more dangerous.
FDA Will Finally Let You Get Naloxone Over the Counter
The life-saving drug stops opioid overdoses as they happen, restoring breathing and preventing death. Why did it take so long for the FDA to expand its use?
No, the U.S. Shouldn't Wage War Against Mexican Cartels
There's little reason to believe that any of the tactics Republican politicians are proposing would be effective in keeping fentanyl out of the country.
The Flap Over Biden's Comment About 2 Fentanyl Deaths Obscures Prohibition's Role in Causing Them
Both parties are complicit in the lethal policies that gave us fentanyl disguised as Percocet.
FDA Cracks Down on Animal Tranquilizer That Is Sometimes Mixed With Fentanyl
The agency's action ignores the government's own role in creating a black market in the first place.
My Daughter's School District Warns That Nicotine Vapers Could Be Unknowingly Inhaling Fentanyl
It is hard to find evidence of this "disturbing trend."
'America Has Lost the War on Drugs,' The New York Times Says, but Should Keep Fighting It Anyway
The paper pushes modest reforms while endorsing continued criminalization.
Calls To 'Close the Border' in Response to Fentanyl Deaths Are Misguided
As Biden mentioned fentanyl deaths in his State of the Union address, Republicans called on him to close the border. But "open borders" aren't to blame for overdoses.
Here's an Officer Who Might Have Actually ODed From Fentanyl Contact—but Not Because He Just Touched It
A North Carolina detective may have inhaled a significant amount during a drug bust.
Don't Let Police, Media Mislead You About Fentanyl Exposure Overdoses
Another officer claims to have been laid out just by being close to the drug. That’s not how it works.
The FDA Is Doing Something That Could Actually Cut Overdose Deaths
Naloxone could be available without a prescription by spring.
It's Far Past Time To Decriminalize Fentanyl Test Strips
Plus: Lawmakers "demanding action" against slurs on Twitter, FTC sues to stop Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard, and more...
Federal Government Still Tells Kids To Wear Masks on Halloween, For COVID-19 Safety
"Keep safe from COVID by following CDC advice to wear a mask."
For the Umpteenth Time, No One Wants To Give Your Kid Rainbow Fentanyl
Myths about drug-laced Halloween candy just won't go away—no matter how stupid they become.
Don't Blame Migrants and 'Open Borders' for Fentanyl Entering the Country
U.S. citizens traveling through legal ports of entry—not undocumented immigrants—are primarily to blame for fentanyl inflows.
Undeterred by Past Failures, the Press Goes All in on 'Rainbow Fentanyl' Panic
Even though no one's trying to give your kid rainbow fentanyl this Halloween, it hasn't stopped journalists from repeating the myth.
No, That Isn't 'Rainbow Fentanyl' in Your Kid's Candy Stash
"I'm skeptical that [dealers] would try to target children where there is not an existing market," says Sally Satel.
Woman Seriously Injured After Colorado Cops Leave Her Handcuffed in Car Parked on Train Tracks
Plus: The ridiculous panic over "rainbow fentanyl" continues, Arizona can enforce near-total abortion ban, and more...
Selling Fentanyl Could Mean the Death Penalty Under New Rubio Bill
As per usual, politicians' response to negative effects of the drug war is…more drug war.
San Francisco's New D.A. Leans Into Prohibition, Will Roll Back Plea Agreements Offered by Her Predecessor
"We have to make changes now to save lives," Brooke Jenkins said, announcing tougher penalties for fentanyl dealers.
A Record Number of Drug-Related Deaths Shows the Drug War Is Remarkably Effective at Killing People
According to new CDC numbers, the death toll rose 15 percent last year after jumping 30 percent in 2020.
107,000 Overdose Deaths Are the Latest Casualties of the War on Drugs
An increasing number of overdoses were the result of fentanyl and methamphetamine, each of which have proliferated amid government crackdowns.
Congress Should Not Legalize Marijuana, Marco Rubio Says, Because Black-Market Weed Is 'Laced With Fentanyl'
The Florida senator has a long history of defending prohibition, but it has not improved his arguments.
Tom Cotton's Absurd Question About Contacting a Heroin Dealer's Victims Reveals a Drug Warrior's Demagoguery
The mindlessly punitive senator grilled Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson about her resentencing of a drug offender.
Michael K. Williams' Death Sparks Charges Against Drug Dealers
The actor's overdose death was a tragedy, but overzealous prosecution of the dealers who sold him the drugs will only make the problem worse.
West Virginia Mulls New Criminal Penalties for Imaginary Threat of Police Fentanyl Exposure
A medical myth that responders can overdose by touching or inhaling synthetic opioids may lead to harsher jail sentences.
Biden Doubles Down on a Lethal Anti-Drug Strategy
Prohibition has driven opioid-related deaths to record levels.
Feds Pledge $30 Million To Fund Drug Harm Reduction Programs
Less punitive responses to drug addiction are good, but what about people still stuck in federal prison?
Is Fentanyl-Tainted Marijuana 'Something Real' or 'Just an Urban Legend'?
The meager evidence cited by Connecticut officials makes their warnings seem overwrought.
A Shuttered West Virginia Pharmacy Shows the DEA's Role in Escalating America's Overdose Crisis
A drug that treats opioid addiction may also be abused. That’s not a good reason to restrict access.
A Man Overdosed on Drugs. The Dealer Was Convicted of Murder and Faces Life in Prison.
It might represent justice in this case. But the approach is rife for abuse.
Why Do the Media Keep Uncritically Repeating Implausible Police Fentanyl Overdose Stories?
Recycling a government press release is not good journalism.
How Drug Warriors Made the 'Opioid Epidemic' Deadlier
Restricting access to pain medication drove nonmedical users toward black-market substitutes.
Drug War, Pandemic Likely Reasons for Spike in U.S. Overdose Deaths
Plus: Missouri and New Hampshire extend school choice, Facebook seeks recusal of FTC chair Lina Khan, and more...
Charging Bit Players With Drug-Induced Homicide Is Unjust and Potentially Deadly
A new investigation of Pennsylvania prosecutions confirms that the defendants are often friends or low-level dealers.
The Feds Are Spreading Fake Facts About Fentanyl
While fentanyl is a dangerous drug, it is very difficult to overdose on it through accidental exposure.
The Feds Who Made America's Fentanyl Freakout Worse
Leaked police documents show how U.S. counterterrorism agencies spread myths and panic about fentanyl.
Why Do Critics of Harsh Drug Penalties Support Them When the Drug Is Fentanyl?
A new Drug Policy Alliance report highlights this puzzling and dangerous inconsistency.
Massachusetts Study Confirms That People Rarely Die After Using Opioids Prescribed for Them
Illicit fentanyl and heroin accounted for the vast majority of opioid-related deaths, while only 1 percent of cases involved drugs for which people had prescriptions.
Democratic Presidential Candidates Promote Dangerous Opioid Myths
The discussion during last night's debate grossly exaggerated the role of prescription pain pills in opioid-related deaths.