Personalized Christmas trees remember, honor lives lost to addiction and suicide

It is a touching holiday tribute marked by grief and sadness inside a north metro drug treatment center – a trio of brightly decorated Christmas trees filled with personalized ornaments of those lost to overdose and suicide.

Woman goes from the depths of drug addiction to helping others at Wayside Recovery Center

Caught in the grips of crippling addiction, Misty Helm was at a crossroads at age 36. Five years later, she has risen from the depths of drug addiction to become a peer recovery specialist at Wayside Recovery Center in Minneapolis.

Hennepin County issues overdose spike alert

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office issued an overdose spike alert Thursday, reminding residents that help is available if you see a suspected overdose.

CDC softens opioid prescribing guidelines for doctors

The nation’s top public health agency on Thursday softened its guidelines for U.S. doctors prescribing oxycodone and other opioid painkillers.

Ellison, 35 other attorneys general reach $450M settlement with opioid maker

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, along with attorneys general from 35 other states, reached a $450 million settlement with the opioid maker Endo.

Fentanyl risk from $1 bill? Drug safety expert dispels myths about second-hand exposure

In a viral Facebook post, a Kentucky woman says she had to be hospitalized after picking up a dollar bill from the ground that she thinks was laced with the drug fentanyl.

Lauren Boebert introduces bill to classify fentanyl as weapon of mass destruction

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, a freshman representing Colorado’s 3rd district, is pushing to classify the synthetic opioid fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.

Police warn public after 9 opioid overdoses in St. Paul over 24 hours

Police are warning members of the public after they've responded to nine suspected opioid overdoses over the course of the past 24 hours.

Opioid settlement nets Minnesota more than $300 million over 18 years

As part of a settlement for its part in an opiate over usage epidemic, manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and the nation’s three largest distributors have agreed to pay Minnesota millions for their roles in selling and promoting the drug.

MDH launches ‘Naloxone Finder’ to increase information, access to overdose drug

As part of an ongoing effort to prevent drug overdose deaths, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is making it easier for people to locate naloxone in the event of a potential drug overdose.

CDC proposes change to opioid prescription guidelines

The nation’s top public health agency is proposing changing — and in some instances, softening — guidelines for doctors prescribing opioid painkillers.

US overdose deaths topped 100,000 in a year for 1st time, CDC says

An estimated 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in one year, topping deaths from car crashes, guns and even flu and pneumonia, CDC data shows.