fentanyl

(Newser) - Seven people have died—and nearly two dozen others have been hospitalized—in California's Sacramento County after overdosing on fentanyl, reports CBS Sacramento . Fentanyl is a painkiller much stronger than morphine and can produce a euphoric high, reports the Los Angeles Times . According to the Sacramento Bee , it's...

(Newser) - Chicago authorities are scrambling after 74 heroin overdoses were reported in the 72 hours between Tuesday and Friday afternoon, more than double the overdose rate during the same time last year, NBC Chicago reports. Police suspect an "extremely strong batch of heroin" that's been laced the powerful painkiller...

(Newser) - Have police found the dealers who sold the heroin believed to have killed Philip Seymour Hoffman ? Four suspected dealers were busted in New York City after a tip-off last night, but it's not clear whether they were the actor's direct suppliers or part of a larger ring,...

(Newser) - Authorities say former Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett died of an overdose of a pain killer, and that they're investigating his death as an accident. Champaign County (Ill.) Coroner Duane Northrup says tests show the 45-year-old musician died after taking fentanyl, a drug found in patches commonly prescribed to treat...