Minnesota's Opioid Epidemic

Stories of addiction, loss and recovery amid a public health crisis that has hit epidemic proportions.
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Critics say Chauvin defense 'weaponized' stigma for Black Americans with addiction
Derek Chauvin's defense has suggested George Floyd's drug use might have made him more "volatile" and unpredictable, justifying the use of force. Critics say Floyd needed health care and compassion.
As U.S. corporations face reckoning over prescription opioids, CEOs keep cashing in
Some companies that sold or distributed opioid medications face a wave of lawsuits, have filed for bankruptcy, or find themselves on the hook for billions of dollars in settlements. But CEOs and other top executives keep getting rewarded.
'Two pandemics’: Drug overdoses spike, stretching help even further
When all the data is in, 2020 is likely to be the deadliest year in American history for drug overdoses. Preliminary federal and state numbers show that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for people who use drugs to stay alive and healthy. It's also taxing the advocates and organizations who work to keep them safe. 
5 years after Indiana's historic HIV outbreak, many rural places remain at risk
Fewer than a third of the 220 counties deemed by the federal government as vulnerable to similar outbreaks have active syringe exchange programs, which make clean needles available to drug users and have been found to reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.
Partisan divide grows over opioid settlement plan
While most Republican attorneys general embrace Purdue Pharma's structured bankruptcy plan, all but two Democratic attorneys general reject it. "This is a moral issue for them," one expert says.
Prince's death another loss in a decades-long opioid overdose epidemic
The superstar died from an overdose of fentanyl, an opioid drug. The news makes him a high-profile victim among tens of thousands of others who die of opioid overdoses annually.
MPR News Special Report: Opioid abuse epidemic
Stories of the people affected by the opioid epidemic, and MPR News hosts Cathy Wurzer and Tom Crann interview Minnesota experts. One of the most staggering aspects of the epidemic is that, for many, drug abuse starts with legal painkillers. MPR reporter Jon Collins is the reporter and producer of this special report.