The nephew of one of Mexico's notorious drug bosses was extradited to the U.S. on smuggling charges and faced his initial appearance in a Tucson federal court on Tuesday, officials said. Read more» 
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Accidental overdose became the No. 1 cause of death in 13 states for people under 40, overtaking suicide in nine states and vehicle accidents in five others; it’s now the top cause in 37 states, with a wave of overdose deaths driven by drugs spiked with fentanyl. Read more»
The Tucson City Council will discuss water plans, and move on to giving police the power to act against landlords who allow crimes on their properties. Plus, Pima County Supes to get a private World View briefing, and more in local government meetings this week. Read more»
Pima County is receiving a $2.5 million grant to assist efforts to prevent overdose deaths from fentanyl and other opioids. There were 458 accidental overdose deaths here last year, with fentanyl playing a role in more than 60 percent. Read more»
The Arizona Department of Health Services has lifted the voluntary recall of marijuana gummies first announced on Aug. 7, due to possible contamination with salmonella. Read more»
The small steps taken in the Inflation Reduction Act were an attempt to rein in the only significant type of Medicare health spending - the cost of prescription drugs - that has not been controlled or limited by the government - but they were a call to arms for the pharmaceutical industry. Read more»
Arizona dispensaries are voluntarily recalling marijuana gummies due to possible contamination of salmonella, a bacterium that, in the event of infection, can cause diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. Read more»
The number of drugs in short supply in the U.S. is now the highest in a decade, with 309 medications, including 25 chemotherapy treatments, reported to be in short supply as of June 30, and health care professionals are now facing critical decisions surrounding treatment rationing. Read more»
Arizona Burn Center officials are warning about roads and surfaces that get blistering hot – literally – in the summer sun, after several years in which contact burns resulted in scores of hospital admissions. Read more»
The Biden administration will spend $305 million to install more vehicle scanners at border crossings to help Customs and Border Protection intercept fentanyl. "That's where the money is for the bad guys," a top official said in Nogales. Read more»
Tucson police and housing officials are clearing homeless encampments deemed to be significant health and safety risks, using information from an online reporting tool. Unsheltered people are often reluctant to leave, despite the risks from the heat and monsoon floods.
Read more»
The Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, reached a settlement in federal court yesterday that will give them full immunity from all civil legal claims, current and future, over their role in the company’s prescription opioids business. Read more»
U.S. Treasury officials could begin targeting foreign bank accounts used to support fentanyl smuggling if a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego makes it way through Congress. Read more»
The Pima County Board of Supervisors plans spend $180,000 from a multi-million dollar settlement with drug manufacturers to purchase and distribute Narcan, "blanketing" the area with the medication that can reverse otherwise fatal opioid overdoses. Read more»
A Mexican man was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison earlier this month after he was found guilty of conspiracy and firearms offenses as part of three-man "rip crew" in 2014 by robbing marijuana smugglers in Southern Arizona's deserts.
Read more»
One of the men involved in a 2021 drug-smuggling attempt that turned into a bloody gunfight at the Amtrak station in Downtown Tucson pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Read more»
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