opioid crisis

News

Opioid Research Center Moves to GMU Arlington Campus

By Jo DeVoe

Amid a local surge in opioid-related overdoses, George Mason University announced its Arlington campus will now house a $20-million, 5-year program studying opioid addiction.

GMU is part of a network of a dozen universities and research institutions that have been studying substance abuse across the U.S since 2019 with funding from the National Institutes of Health. Most of the campuses in the NIH’s Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) conduct research, but GMU’s center has a different focus.

Go to Opioid Research Center Moves to GMU Arlington Campus Read more
News

ACPD Sounds Alarm After Responding to Three Opioid Overdoses in One Day

By Jo DeVoe
An ACFD ambulance drives down Wilson Blvd (file photo by Jay Westcott)

After a spike in opioid overdoses this weekend, the Arlington County Police Department is urging residents to take advantage of local substance abuse resources.

On Sunday, ACPD investigated two fatal overdoses and one overdose that left another person in critical condition, according to a news release.

Go to ACPD Sounds Alarm After Responding to Three Opioid Overdoses in One Day Read more
News

County Lawsuit Over Opioid Harm Seeks More Than $150 Million

By David Taube
Gavel (Flickr photo by Joe Gratz)

Arlington County has hit a setback in its fight against the opioid epidemic, as a high-stakes legal battle is mired in a squabble over where the case should be tried.

The county is currently suing dozens of businesses, such as CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, McKesson Corporation and Express Scripts. In its lawsuit, the county says these manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies were key players in the opioid problem.

Go to County Lawsuit Over Opioid Harm Seeks More Than $150 Million Read more
News

Arlington Man Sentenced to Nearly 13 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

By Matt Blitz
Gavel (Flickr photo by Joe Gratz)

An Arlington man was sentenced yesterday (Feb. 24) to 12 years and 7 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.

Cornelius Frazier, 32, would press pills containing fentanyl so that they would resemble prescription pills (like Oxycodone) so that he could distribute for financial gain, according to a U.S. Justice Department press release and court documents.

Go to Arlington Man Sentenced to Nearly 13 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl Read more
News

County Receives $1 Million in Grants To Help Fight Opioid Epidemic

By Matt Blitz
A training session for how to administer naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, to reverse opioid overdoses (staff photo)

Arlington County has received just over $1 million in grants from both the federal government and the state to help fight the opioid epidemic.

The Department of Justice is providing about $900,000 to the county’s Department of Human Services to assist in improving access to treatment, identifying alternatives to incarnation, and to hire two full time staff to further help those being treated for substance abuse.

Go to County Receives $1 Million in Grants To Help Fight Opioid Epidemic Read more
News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

AIM to Spotlight Arlington’s Black Community — “In 2018, Arlington native Wilma Jones published a book about the neighborhood she grew up in. My Halls Hill Family: More Than a Neighborhood details the evolution of a community of freed slaves, which was founded after the Civil War… Jones and Arlington Independent Media (AIM), a nonprofit organization, are launching a multi-part series called UNTOLD: Stories of Black Arlington.” [WDVM]

Interview with Interim Police Chief — “After 29 years with Arlington County, Virginia, Police, Deputy Chief Andy Penn knows a concerning trend when he sees one. Just weeks before moving into the role of interim chief, Penn said addressing an uptick in deadly overdoses was an immediate focus. As of Aug. 18, the county had lost 16 people to overdose deaths, according to Arlington County police data.” [WTOP]

Go to Morning Notes Read more
News

Two Dead of Suspected Overdoses as Arlington Battles Opioid Addiction

By ARLnow.com
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

Narcotics may have claimed two more lives in Arlington over the weekend.

Police removed two bodies from an apartment along N. George Mason Drive in the Buckingham neighborhood Sunday night, a local resident told ARLnow. A police spokeswoman tells us that the preliminary death investigation pointed to drugs as a likely cause.

Go to Two Dead of Suspected Overdoses as Arlington Battles Opioid Addiction Read more
News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Dorsey’s Union Check ‘Lost in the Mail’ — “The $10,000 donation that cost Metro board member Christian Dorsey his position was returned to the agency’s largest union five months ago, but the check was never cashed — because it was lost in the mail, Dorsey and the union said.” [Washington Post]

Opioid Overdoses Rise in Arlington — “Since the start of the year, nine individuals have recovered from opioid overdoses following the deployment of Nasal Naloxone (also known as Narcan) by responding officers. This comes as the number of police investigated incidents involving opioids begins to rise, with fatal incidents now surpassing those reported in 2019.” [Arlington County]

Go to Morning Notes Read more
News

Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to Prison For Fraudulent Billing, Illegal Drug Dispensing

By Airey
Gavel (Flickr photo by Joe Gratz)

A pharmacy owner with stores in Arlington and Alexandria has been sentenced to four years behind bars for falsifying insurance claims and illegally dispensing opioids.

Latif Mohamed Chowdhury, 29, was sentenced to prison on Friday after law enforcement accused him of running a get rich quick scheme by billing insurance companies for prescriptions he never filled, and in some cases, were never prescribed by a doctor to the patient. Officials say Chowdhury, who did not have a pharmacy license, dispensed medications and billed insurance companies at his two pharmacies between August 2015 and February 2016 using identities he had stolen from licensed pharmacists.

Go to Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to Prison For Fraudulent Billing, Illegal Drug Dispensing Read more
News

County Unveils New Program Waiving Charges for Some Addicts Seeking Treatment

By Airey
Jail entrance at the Arlington County Detention Facility

Arlington law enforcement officials are launching a program to help people with addictions get help without jail time.

“Operation Safe Station” allows the Office of the Magistrate to waive charges on people with an addiction who turn themselves and their drugs in, and ask for help.

Go to County Unveils New Program Waiving Charges for Some Addicts Seeking Treatment Read more