OPIOIDS

Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is a controlled substance in Florida, meaning that it’s a crime to possess or sell the drug within the state.

The Flagler County school district may become the second district in the state to give Narcan to its staff and nurses to administer to students.

Often so much attention is focused on the people who are struggling with addiction and so little on the children who are affected when their parents get involved with drugs.

A Tavares police officer who was revived with NARCAN after being exposed to fentanyl during a traffic stop is speaking about her experience.

A Tavares police officer overdosed and was transported to the hospital after being exposed to fentanyl Tuesday during a traffic stop, according to the department.

October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month.

Federal officials say an increasing number of fake prescription pills containing potentially deadly fentanyl are helping drive overdose death rates to record levels in the U.S. And officials warn that some of the pills are being manufactured in rainbow colors designed to look like candy.

The Florida Department of Health announced a new opioid recovery initiative in observance of International Overdose Awareness Day, sending hundreds of naloxone kits to the health departments of 16 counties.

Local leaders came together with families Wednesday to mourn those lost to overdose deaths and look toward solutions for those struggling with opioids.

Nearly five years ago, Kimberly McCaffrey-Noel was arrested by deputies in Volusia County when they found her unconscious in a car, with her baby in the backseat.

An accused Flagler County drug dealer got a big surprise over the weekend when deputies say he accidentally texted a county commissioner to try to sell drugs.

The University of Central Florida is the first in Central Florida, and the first public university in the state, to give students and staff the power to save their own lives if they’re overdosing.

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma sat down with anchor Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly” to break down how the opioid epidemic has evolved over the years and what it’s going to take to get the crisis under control.

Most of the defendants in Florida’s lawsuit over the opioid epidemic have settled for more than $870 million, according to the state attorney general.

Since the Orlando Police Department's Overdose Unit was created a little more than a year ago, it has made almost a hundred arrests of drug dealers who've sold deadly and potentially deadly doses of opioids.

Project Opioid, a Florida-based initiative team that works alongside the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, is set to introduce a new advocacy campaign next week, according to a news release.

A Florida-based initiative teamed up with the Seminole County Sheriff’s office Wednesday to release a new report about a historic rise in local opioid overdose deaths.

36-year-old Devonne Walker was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Healthcare systems and law enforcement are teaming up to bring awareness to the opioid crisis nationally and locally.

As the coronavirus pandemic raged on, the CDC said nearly 100,000 people lost their lives to drugs in 12 months with almost 10% of the overdose deaths reported happened in Florida, according to the data.

Beacon Point is one of the few all-encompassing campuses in the state where opioid addicts at any stage can come for every kind of treatment.

A woman faces a murder charge after she sold fentanyl to a Leesburg man who ended up dying from an overdose, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

A man was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder more than two years after another man died from an opioid overdose in Flagler County.

A man from Lake County could face life in prison after getting arrested on federal drug conspiracy charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

So far, in 2021, 581 people have overdosed and 81 have died, a 20% reduction compared to last year's pace.

Winter Springs police seized 20 guns, more than $51,000 and large quantities of opioids during a drug bust Monday.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Church leaders and law enforcement are working together to address the rise in overdose deaths within the last year. “What we are seeing is a perfect storm of the previous overdose crisis now colliding with COVID-19 and driving the numbers of deaths from overdose to historic levels,” Andrae Bailey, CEO of Project Opioid said. Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma, a coach for Project Opioid, said they are working to bring more community programs to reach those struggling with opioid addiction. “We’ve incorporated a lot in various programs in Seminole County and this project with project opioid brings the faith community together, the business community together and the public sector to come up with real reasonable solutions,” Lemma said. To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A man now faces a murder charge for supplying the drugs that caused a 19-year-old woman’s death, according to the state attorney’s office. David Hare was indicted Jan. 15, on a charge of first-degree murder by distribution of a controlled substance. Ackerman died Jan. 22, 2020, after doing drugs with Daniel Bachert, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies say that Bachert noticed Ackerman was in distress but waited more than four hours to take her to the hospital. Jessica Ackerman and Daniel Bachert (Seminole County Sheriff's Office)Bachert provided the fentanyl to Ackerman but he received it from Hare, according to a news release from the state attorney’s office.