Category: DRUGS
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Altria, No. 1 U.S. tobacco-cigarette maker, buying 35% of top e-cigarette maker; got Ky. legislature to drop proposed tax on e-cigs this spring
“Altria Group Inc. is nearing a deal to take a 35 percent stake in e-cigarette startup Juul Labs Inc. at a roughly $38 billion valuation, according to people familiar with the matter,” The Wall...
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Surgeon general issues national advisory on epidemic use of youth e-cig use; all agree it will take everyone to curb epidemic
Juul e-cigarette. Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky photo. — By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health NewsElectronic-cigarette use among teens is so widespread that the top U.S. public health official has issued...
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As support for medical marijuana in Kentucky increases, a resolution asks the federal government to speed research on it
Rep. Danny Bentley and Dianne McFarling, a certified prevention specialist, spoke at the Dec. 12 interim joint health committee meeting. (Photo by Melissa Patrick) — By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross...
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Court of Appeals OKs release of court records that could reveal more about how company promoted OxyContin, opioid epidemic
Purdue Pharma is privately held. (AP photo by Douglas Healey) — The state Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a Pike County judge’s ruling to release secret records about the marketing...
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If Ky. teenagers’ use of e-cigarettes continues at its current pace, look for a new generation of adult smokers, conference is told
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky teachers have plenty to keep up with in the schools, which can cause an issue like teenagers’ vaping of electronic cigarettes to get...
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Adair County newspaper looks at local syringe exchange, finds most of its clients are from Taylor County, which doesn’t have one
The demand for syringe exchanges crosses county lines; if local governments haven’t allowed one in a county where intravenous drug users live, some of them go to a county that...
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Among the 50 states, Kentucky, which is 26th in population, ranked fourth in the death rate from drug overdoses in 2017
Kentucky had the fourth highest rate of drug overdoses among the states in 2017, fifth when the District of Columbia is added to the list, according to a new report from the...
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Beshear sues 9th opioid maker, says it makes him the most aggressive attorney general, based on number of suits
Filing his ninth lawsuit against a maker of drugs that have contributed to the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Andy Beshear said “This lawsuit makes Kentucky the most aggressive state in...
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FDA cracks down on e-cigs, noting use by youth more than doubled in a year, and proposes to ban menthol in cigarettes
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed Thursday to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes and cigars, and restrict the sales of some flavored electronic-cigarette liquids, some flavored cigars...
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Kentucky gets approval to expand and improve treatment for substance-use disorder among people on Medicaid
Kaiser Family Foundation map shows ranges of opioid addiction among Medicaid beneficiaries before the program was expanded in 2014. — Kentucky has gained more flexibility to provide substance-use-disorder (SUD) services for...