Dependency on drugs is fast becoming a normal feature. With the number of drug users increasing on a daily basis, there is also a sharp rise in overdose fatalities. In an effort to control an overdose, harm-reduction workers are nowadays using a tool to help drug abusers avoid death. This tool or drug test strips are able to detect the presence of fentanyl.

There have been regular calls to the Ontario-based biotechnology company BTNX, which offers the testing kits, by distraught parents who have lost their children to fentanyl overdose. They have been eager to get their hands on drug testing strips, which are said to detect the presence of fentanyl. However, CEO of the company, Iqbal Sunderani, says he is forced to turn them down. Read more →

Characterized by compulsive drug-seeking behavior despite knowing the negative consequences, addiction is a chronic brain disease that has paralyzed millions of people worldwide. In the United States alone, an estimated 28.6 million people aged 12 or older were current illicit drug users in 2016.

Despite the tough laws and regulations, the mortality rate due to illicit drug abuse continues to grow. This rise in the mortality rate has been attributed to overdose deaths, adverse health effects, poor socioeconomic condition, etc. Read more →