Substance-abuse prevention advocates are educating people about the dangers of underage drinking during this, Alcohol Awareness Month. In Iowa, that means a heavy emphasis on rural areas, where alcohol consumption is higher than it is in urban areas. Alcohol Awareness Month is organized by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence as a way of increasing outreach and education about the dangers of alcoholism and issues related to alcohol. .
States such as Minnesota continue to grapple with recent spikes in fatal overdoses tied to opioids. Now, a federal agency has taken what aid groups say is a big step in preventing such deaths. This week, the Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales of the nasal version of naloxone, which rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. .
More than 4,000 people in North Carolina died of overdoses in 2021, the highest number of overdose deaths in a single year on record in the state, according to recently released data. Dr. Susan Kansagra, assistant secretary for public health with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said before the pandemic, the state s opioid overdose deaths had been leveling off, but now, she said they are on the rise, and communities have spent the past few years grappling with the loss of loved ones. .
Digital gaming companies operating in the state are opposed to legislation that would prevent them from advertising financial enticements and prohibit gamblers from funding their online gaming activit.