Fentanyl

A tale of synthetic cannabinoids, the Analogues Act, and the twisted journey of two Florida hustlers.

Washington State bans discrimination against potential new hires over off-the-job marijuana use, Senate drug warriors file a bill aimed at counterfeit pills, and more.

A Vancouver man's experiment with "safe supply" drug sales is quickly ended by police, a Pennsylvania marijuana legalization bill is filed, and more.

Three Colorado Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to kill a safe injection site bill, a Texas bill to impose harsher penalties on fentanyl dealers has passed both chambers, and more.

Republicans seek political advantage by calling Mexican cartels "terrorist organizations," the FDA eases rules for groups distributing the opioid overdose reversal drug nalxone, and more.

Fentanyl has largely replaced heroin in the nation's capital and that's being reflected in overdose statistics, India creates a national drug trafficker registry, and more.

Missouri's Republican governor rejects a call to include marijuana legalization in an upcoming special session, a DC court reverses the firing of a medical marijuana-using employee accused of being high on the job, and more.

This new entry in the growing literature on the opioid crisis digs deep and paints a picture that isn't pretty. But the book's laser-sharp focus on corporate and political malfeasance omits much of the context in which this crisis has unfolded, and that context is important.

The history of drug prohibition is increasingly well-trodden territory, but with Opium's Orphans, British historian P.E. Caquet brings a fascinating new perspective embedded in a sweeping narrative and fortified with an erudite grasp of the broad global historical context.