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Washington Post
31-05-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
The mysterious drop in fentanyl seizures on the U.S.-Mexico border
MEXICO CITY — After years of confiscating rising amounts of fentanyl, the opioid that has fueled the most lethal drug epidemic in American history, U.S. officials are confronting a new and puzzling reality at the Mexican border. Fentanyl seizures are plummeting. The phenomenon has received little notice in Washington, where the Trump administration has made fentanyl-trafficking cartels a national-security priority. 'Narcotics of all kinds are pouring across our borders,' said a White House statement in March, announcing stiff tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
The Sun
17-05-2025
- The Sun
The ketamine kids ravaging UK town as dealers hit PRIMARY schools & teen girls draw business plans to become drug lords
TWO teenagers high on ketamine sway like zombies on the canal path yards from happy Burnley fans fresh from watching their team clinch promotion back to the Premier League. While the Lancashire town is basking in football glory, it's also tackling a growing ketamine epidemic which has seen kids as young as 12 hooked on it, with fears child dealers are bringing it into primary schools. 11 The Sun can reveal that one 13-year-old girl dealer even created a "business plan" to set herself up as a drug boss, complete with profit and loss estimates, and had recruited dealers and runners to peddle the popular party drug - also known as ' Special K ' or 'Kit Kat'. Teenage girls are feared to have been sexually assaulted while high, and addicts have self-harmed and attempted suicide in the former mill town where the white powder can be bought for just £10 a gram. Recreational use of the horse tranquilliser has doubled in a year in the UK, and it is believed to be made legally in factories in India as well as illegally in China, Laos and Vietnam. The Class B drug is then smuggled to Britain via Belgium or Holland and sold by county lines drug dealers. According to the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System, the number of 18-year-olds in England entering drug treatment who identify ketamine as one of their problem substances rose to 917 in 2023-24 from 335 in 2020-2021. Ketamine is particularly damaging to the inner lining of the bladder, and heavy users can end up incontinent or needing to have the organ removed and replaced with a bag. The potent painkiller and sedative has become a hugely popular street drug due to its hallucinogenic and relaxing effects, but it can be highly dangerous. Hollywood actor Matthew Perry, who played Chandler in the sitcom Friends, died in 2023 after an overdose, and former RuPaul's Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne died aged 32 of a cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine in January. In Burnley, tragic teenager Preston McNally fell into the Leeds-Liverpool Canal after taking the horse tranquilliser drug with three friends. His inquest heard that a witness saw them acting like "zombies" and could not control their legs. How ketamine can change someone's life at 'startling' speed revealed by Dr Catherine Carney 11 11 Local vicar Alex Frost, 55, who has been campaigning about the dangers of ketamine, told The Sun: "Tragically they could not help him as they were too out of it. "It's a pandemic here in Burnley. It's undoubtedly one of the ketamine hotspots in the country. "It's shocking the scale of it. It's due to the high levels of deprivation and also the cost of it." The married dad-of-three, who is the vicar of St Matthews Church, added: "We have seen 12-year-old kids being addicted. "And then the dealers groom kids with the latest trainers… the latest fashion gear, then they got in debt over it and have to sell more. "I know of one 13-year-old girl who did a business plan for selling ketamine. She had profit and loss margins - she had worked out how much she could get it for and then how much she sold it for. "If she had only managed to funnel that enterprise into something legitimate, that would be very impressive. "Her mother only found out she was involved in ketamine when she saw a picture of her daughter being held by her ankles and then dropped down the stairs of a house while they were all high on ketamine.' 'K-hole' The vicar, who turned to campaigning when a parishioner broke down in tears over the effect ketamine was having on her daughter, wants the drug to be upgraded to a Class A category. The synthetic drug's origins lie in the early 1970s, when it was developed as an easily administered anaesthetic for combatants in the Vietnam War. It became popular in the 90s as a clubbing drug alongside ecstasy. An excessive hit can cause temporary catatonia, known as a "K-hole". Former addict Finley Worthington, who racked up £22,000 debts over ketamine, told The Sun: "That's the ultimate hit. When you have experienced a k-hole, you chase it. 11 11 The 'heroin of a generation' Party drug ketamine has been dubbed the 'heroin' of a generation as users warn its true toll has yet to be fully seen. The potent painkiller and sedative has become a hugely popular street drug due to its hallucinogenic and relaxing effects. But for some, a party habit can spiral into a devastating addiction. Exeter University researchers who interviewed 274 ketamine addicts warn the drug causes 'high levels of physical health problems and psychological consequences'. They estimated that nearly half – 44 per cent – of British users suffering devastating side effects from ketamine do not get professional help. Sixty per cent had bladder or nasal problems, while 56 per cent suffered from organ cramps. Six in 10 interviewees had mental health problems and reported psychological issues including cravings, low mood, anxiety and irritability. One anonymous ketamine user in the study said: 'I feel it is the heroin of a generation. 'More information will only become available once more people my age begin to suffer so greatly from misuse that it can't be hidden anymore.' Another added: 'People know the risks of heroin and cocaine but not how addictive ketamine can become.' "I have seen all sorts on the drug. One time I hallucinated that I was on a fairground ride in my bedroom and I was going round and round - it was crazy. "I chased that high to see that again." The 25-year-old was addicted to ketamine for six years and at times snorted more than seven grams a day. He said: "I was in hospital many times because of ketamine. It was very scary. "The pain was so bad that I ended up using ketamine as an anaesthetic. "Kids now take it in houses, parks or by the canal. You see them in clubs swaying like zombies." 'Hidden epidemic' Finley now works as a charity drugs counsellor and runs support group Ketamine Education Services. Shaking his head, he added: "We are seeing kids as young as 12 addicted to it but I'm sure it's being taken into primary schools and sold by kids just ten or 11. "It's shocking. It's a hidden epidemic.' One mum said her daughter's ten-month ket addiction was a nightmare. Speaking to The Sun from her home, she said: "It was a living hell when she was suffering withdrawals. "She threw plates at us, attacked us and all sorts. My daughter self-harmed and talked about killing herself. It was a nightmare. "The Government needs to upgrade it to Class A. It is everywhere in Burnley - kids take it in parks and by the canals. "It's so cheap - they put pocket money in and club together to buy it." The devastating impact of ketamine Ketamine is a very powerful anaesthetic that can cause serious harm. Taking ketamine can be fatal, particularly if it is mixed with other drugs. Physical health risks In the short term, it can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, and make you feel sick. It can also make you confused, agitated, delirious and disconnected from reality. As it leads to loss of feeling in your body, paralysis of the muscles and loss of touch with reality, ketamine can leave you vulnerable to hurting yourself or being hurt by others. Because you don't feel pain properly when you've recently taken the drug, you can injure yourself and not know you've done it. The party drug can cause damage to your short and long term memory. Prolonged use can also result in serious bladder problems, causing an urgent, frequent and painful need to pee and blood stained urine. Although stopping using ketamine can help, sometimes the damage can be so serious that the bladder needs surgical repair or even removal. The urinary tract, from the kidneys down to the bladder, can also be affected and you may be left incontinent - meaning you can't hold in your pee. Abdominal pain, sometimes called 'K cramps', have been reported by people who have taken ketamine for a long time. Finally, evidence of liver damage due to regular, heavy ketamine use is emerging. Mental health risks The longer term effects of ketamine use can include flashbacks, memory loss and problems with concentration. Regular use can cause depression and, occasionally, psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations. Ketamine can also make existing mental health problems worse. Medical grade ketamine is now being researched as a potential treatment for severe depression, but it is too early to know the results of this research. Source: FRANK Ketamine is classified as Class B, with the maximum penalty for supply and production 14 years in jail. The Government said it was seeking expert advice on whether to reclassify ketamine as a Class A which would mean anyone supplying it could be handed a life sentence. Lancashire Police has launched Operation Shore to crack down on the supply of ketamine in Burnley and nearby Padiham. A boy of 15 was among those arrested in dawn raids. Cops are also cracking down on e-bikes and e-scooters being used to deal ketamine throughout the borough. Inspector Matt Plummer said: "We have seen a concerning rise in ketamine misuse across our communities, and it's vital that we respond both with enforcement and education." Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health at Lancashire County Council, said: "There has been an increase in ketamine use nationally so it is incredibly important for us to work together with our partners to help stop ketamine getting into our communities. "We are already providing support to those affected by ketamine and their families, as well as delivering sessions to children and parents to educate them about the dangers of ketamine. "In a very short period of time, ketamine can cause permanent damage to the body, including bladder problems, changes in mental health, memory, and damage to your nose, liver and kidneys." 11 11 11 11
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
U.S. overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen
Signs are displayed at a tent during a health event on June 26, 2021, in Charleston, (AP Photo/John Raby, File) There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. That's down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency's National Center for Health Statistics. All but two states saw declines last year, with Nevada and South Dakota seeing small increases. Some of the biggest drops were in Ohio, West Virginia and other states that have been hard-hit in the nation's decades-long overdose epidemic. Experts say more research needs to be done to understand what drove the reduction, but they mention several possible factors. Among the most cited: Increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. Expanded addiction treatment. Shifts in how people use drugs. The growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money. The number of at-risk Americans is shrinking, after waves of deaths in older adults and a shift in teens and younger adults away from the drugs that cause most deaths. Still, annual overdose deaths are higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the CDC noted that overdoses are still the leading cause of death for people 18-44 years old, 'underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.' Some experts worry that the recent decline could be slowed or stopped by reductions in federal funding and the public health workforce, or a shift away from the strategies that seem to be working. 'Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal,' said Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco. The provisional numbers are estimates of everyone who died of overdoses in the U.S., including noncitizens. That data is still being processed, and the final numbers can sometimes differ a bit. But it's clear that there was a huge drop last year. Experts note that there have been past moments when U.S. overdose deaths seemed to have plateaued or even started to go down, only to rise again. That happened in 2018. But there are reasons to be optimistic. Naloxone has become more widely available, in part because of the introduction of over-the-counter versions that don't require prescriptions. Meanwhile, drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy chains and other businesses have settled lawsuits with state and local governments over the painkillers that were a main driver of overdose deaths in the past. The deals over the last decade or so have promised about $50 billion over time, with most of it required to be used to fight addiction. Another settlement that would be among the largest, with members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma agreeing to pay up to US$7 billion, could be approved this year. The money, along with federal taxpayer funding, is going to a variety of programs, including supportive housing and harm reduction efforts, such as providing materials to test drugs for fentanyl, the biggest driver of overdoses now. But what each state will do with that money is currently at issue. 'States can either say, 'We won, we can walk away'' in the wake of the declines or they can use the lawsuit money on naloxone and other efforts, said Regina LaBelle, a former acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. She now heads an addiction and public policy program at Georgetown University. President Donald Trump's administration views opioids as largely a law enforcement issue and as a reason to step up border security. That worries many public health leaders and advocates. 'We believe that taking a public health approach that seeks to support — not punish — people who use drugs is crucial to ending the overdose crisis,' said Dr. Tamara Olt, an Illinois woman whose 16-year-old son died of a heroin overdose in 2012. She is now executive director of Broken No Moore, an advocacy organization focused on substance use disorder. Olt attributes recent declines to the growing availability of naloxone, work to make treatment available, and wider awareness of the problem. Kimberly Douglas, an Illinois woman whose 17-year-old son died of an overdose in 2023, credited the growing chorus of grieving mothers. 'Eventually people are going to start listening. Unfortunately, it's taken 10-plus years.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Mike Stobbe and Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press
