Opioid Epidemic

Through treatment and prevention, Lurie Children's Hospital is working to combat substance abuse in teens. During National Prevention Week and ahead of summer break – when experts typically see a spike in young people doing drugs – doctors are raising awareness about the dangers of drug use in adolescents.

A new report from the House Select Committee links China to drug trafficking here in the United States.

Cook County Health is launching a mobile overdose prevention outreach van.

Counterfeit drugs are killing Americans and now some companies are turning to technology for help.

A supplement sold at gas stations has been compared to opioids for its addictive, pain relieving effects.

UCLA researchers have released new data indicating that death rates among teens in Cook County surpass the national average.

A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine published on Wednesday shows overdose deaths in US teens hit an all-time high in 2022, with the equivalent of a high school classroom of teens dying every week across the country. Overdoses are now the 3rd leading cause of death in kids under 19 in the US. The bleak record comes even as teen drug use is at its lowest rate in almost 50 years.

The CDC estimates one American dies every five minutes from a drug poisoning. Last year in Cook County, 90% of opioid deaths involved fentanyl. Illinois lawmakers explain the importance of fentanyl education in schools.

Three young adults from the Chicago area were hospitalized with serious injuries, and one was in a coma after ingesting fake Xanax pills, according to the CDC.

Opioid overdose deaths in Cook County appear to have held steady last year, with over 90 percent of those deaths involving fentanyl.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office is spearheading a new initiative to ensure widespread access to naloxone.