<p>0.7 million of 2.4 million U.S. adults misused buprenorphine in 2019; motivations for misuse include being hooked, physical pain relief</p>
<p>Record-high 96,779 drug overdose deaths reported from March 2020 to March 2021</p>
<p>Fatal opioid overdoses four times more likely in the two days after hospital discharge</p>
<p>In policy recommendations, AMA calls for removal of barriers to evidence-based care</p>
<p>This was the first public safety alert the DEA has issued in six years</p>
<p>History of TBI tied to 52 percent increased odds of prescription opioid use, 65 percent increased odds of prescription opioid misuse</p>
<p>In 2019, xylazine contributed to death in 64 percent of cases and almost always also involved fentanyl</p>
<p>No significant change seen in overdose death rates overall from 2018 to 2019, but rate increased among non-Hispanic Blacks</p>
<p>Hospitalizations for cardiac arrest with opioid use linked to higher prevalence of alcohol, depression, and smoking</p>
<p>Sackler family to pay $4.5 billion in bankruptcy settlement, denies any personal responsibility</p>