Tox on the web: narcotic noodles, intranasal narcan, and much more!

The Antidote: A long piece in the  The New Yorker by Ian Frazier describes the epidemic of overdoses from both prescription opiate analgesics and heroin, how that epidemic affects the New York City borough of Staten Island, and the potential role of intranasal naloxone in reducing the number of deaths. A little superficial regarding the origins of the epidemic and the medical use of naloxone, but well worth reading nevertheless. It is superb at portraying the human dimension of what Frazier justifiably calls an “iatrogenic disaster.” By the way, the versatile Frazier is the author of one of the funniest parodies I’ve ever read, “Coyote v. Acme.” Those noodles are so good they’re addictive: The Independent (U.K.) reports that a chef in China’s Shaanxi province was found to be lacing his noodles with narcotics in an attempt to develop an, um, loyal customer base. The chef, identified only as “Zhang,” bought 4.4 pounds of poppy buds, which he ground up and added to the dish. The scheme was detected when during a traffic stop a customer tested positive for opiates. Psychotropic plants: The Guardian (U.K.) has a picture gallery of mind-altering plants — including peyote, salvia, and of course cannabis —  based on show currently on display at Kew Gardens in London. It ain’t tox but . . .: I can recommend two recent non-tox related articles. A superb and heartbreaking New York Times report by Nina Bernstein describes...
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Medical ian frazier intranasal naloxone medical overtreatment mind-altering plants narcan opium noodles tox on the web Source Type: news