drugs

Both Kansas and Missouri have seen the number of overdose deaths attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl increase dramatically in the last several years. The U.S.'s drug czar urged people to carry Naloxone to counteract opioid overdoses in a visit to the Midwest last week.

Data points to a nearly 75% increase in overdoses in Missouri since 2019, and last year was the second consecutive year that fentanyl accounted for over two-thirds of overdoses in Missouri.

KFF Health News obtained documents showing the exact dollar amounts — down to the cent — that local governments have been paid in 2022 and 2023 in lawsuit settlements from the opioid crisis. For Missouri, that's $458 million.

Kansas health care providers are scrambling to respond to a global shortage of chemotherapy drugs.

Possession of fentanyl test strips will no longer be a crime in Kansas. The new state law also means pharmacies, online retailers and harm-reduction programs will be able to legally distribute the strips.

Donte Westmoreland was exonerated in 2021 after serving five years in a Kansas prison for a marijuana offense. On Thursday, the Kansas City mayor and city council are recognizing April 20 as 4/20 Donte West Cannabis Justice Day.

A huge selling point for those who voted for Amendment 3 in November was the automatic expungement provision — meaning people who have already served their sentences for past charges will have their records cleared. All marijuana-related misdemeanors must be expunged by June 8 and felonies by Dec. 8.

A Republican state representative from St. Charles wants to legalize psilocybin, aka magic mushrooms, for medical treatment in Missouri. Plus: Manor Records closed its brick-and-mortar store in Strawberry Hill and is focusing on its true mission: making money for local musicians.

Psilocybin, the psychedelic drug commonly referred to as "magic mushrooms," is outlawed in most states, including Missouri, but a Republican legislator is trying to change that. He shares how the drug could be used to treat some ailments.

High schools in the Kansas City metro have seen students bring guns and drugs to school at the same time gun homicides and drug overdoses have been increasing on both sides of the state line.

Marijuana dispensaries across Missouri are expected to begin selling to recreational users by next month. Education experts say young people are capable of having serious conversations about cannabis and other substances — it's the adults who usually make it awkward.

Under Amendment 3, known as Legal Missouri 2022, some state marijuana offenses could be expunged either automatically or through an appeal process. However, critics of the amendment say the provisions pick and choose who are forgiven.