Dr. Nab

Scientist on front lines of overdose crisis receives MacArthur 'genius' award Nabarun Dasgupta was recognized with a MacArthur "genius" award for work studying the deadly overdose crisis. He's also a front-line organizer, helping people survive.

My friend and colleague @nabarund.bsky.social !!!! www.npr.org/2025/10/08/n...

OD Data: Own Your Impact What to expect from 2024 CDC overdose mortality data. AI prompt and talking points for advocacy

Sometime next week (second full week of May), CDC will publish 2024 predicted overdose numbers. Now is the time to get ready to tell your story. This guide will help with talking points.

We expect a -27% drop (give or take 1.1%).

opioiddatalab.ghost.io/od-data-own-...

Can’t stop won’t stop

cc @nabarund.bsky.social

April Newsletter April newsletter from the UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab. UNC Watchlist, newly detected drugs. Drug checking data for research. Job postings, drug checking training, Drug policy, archive

Street Drug newsletter just dropped. Latest OD numbers, #openscience, Duterte, #harmreduction events, & more!

opioiddatalab.ghost.io/april-newsle...

Deadliest phase of fentanyl crisis eases, as all states see recovery In some parts of the U.S., drug deaths have plunged to levels not seen since the fentanyl crisis exploded. Addiction experts say communities still face big challenges.

OD deaths have been dropping in *every* state, for years. Fentanyl, xylazine, (dex)medetomidine are still around. We have much more to do.

www.npr.org/2025/03/07/n...

@brianmannadk.bsky.social

See the full data deep dive here:
opioiddatalab.ghost.io/peak-od-phen...

The Myth(s) of Fentanyl Exposure YouTube video by Ryan Marino, MD

I made this video about what is really going on with these “fentanyl exposure” stories because I got tired of explaining the same thing over and over: www.youtube.com/watch?v=215h...

Really looking forward to kicking off our four-part spring series, "New Drugs and New Markets."

Join us on March 13th 3-5pm EST for our Keynote with @nabarund.bsky.social and our first panel discussion!

Please share widely and register here: bit.ly/NewDrugs1

Manisha Krishnan: A Fentanyl Czar and the End of Progressive Drug Policy Like previous crackdowns, this will likely make the crisis worse

As Canada installs a fentanyl czar, it is also:
-closing safe drug consumption sites
-gutting drug decriminalization
-forcing drug users into treatment
-restricting safe supply
With Trudeau leaving, I wrote about the end of progressive drug policy: hatchetmedia.substack.com/p/manisha-kr...

‘One of the larger mysteries I’ve ever seen’: Industrial chemical found in illicit fentanyl | CNN The drug supply is constantly evolving, and some experts suggest that a “fourth wave” of the opioid epidemic is underway, in which illicit fentanyl is more frequently mixed with other drugs.

More coverage this AM on the puzzling arrival of industrial chemical BTMPS in the illicit fentanyl supply

And a timely reminder of the value of public health research

With quotes from @chelsealshover.bsky.social @morgangodvin.bsky.social @nabarund.bsky.social

1/2

www.cnn.com/2025/02/12/h...

New analysis of overdose mortality, which has been dropping in most states since 2022-23. Surprisingly, 19 states are now near or below 2020 baseline. But, we still have a lot to do because too many people we love are still being harmed and dying.
opioiddatalab.ghost.io/peak-od-phen...

UNC Street Drug Lab December 2024 Newsletter UNC Watchlist, newly detected drugs, BTMPS receptors, Captagon, fentanyl and coke in marine animals, expert statement on highdose naloxone, data from Remedy Alliance, and an application deadline for p...

Newly detected drugs, BTMPS receptors, Captagon, fentanyl and coke in marine animals, highdose naloxone, Remedy Alliance data, application for people with lived experience

opioiddatalab.ghost.io/december-new...

Here are the 9 new-to-us substances we saw in unregulated street drugs last month. Full investigations at https://opioiddatalab.ghost.io/recent-drugs-nov-24/

Hospitals Gave Them Meds During Childbirth. Why Did Patients Get In Trouble? Mothers were reported after they were given medications used routinely for pain or in epidurals, to reduce anxiety or to manage blood pressure during cesarean sections.

Speechless outrage. Welcome to late stage opioid “crisis” gorging on itself to fabricate problems.
www.themarshallproject.org/2024/12/11/p...

The model that predicted the current overdose drop Meet the model that predicted the current drop in overdose deaths. 📉 Modeling the evolution of the US opioid crisis for national policy development

Meet the only model that predicted the current drop in overdose deaths

Slideshow: Opioid Advertisements From the Height Of the Crisis The opioid crisis didn’t happen by accident.

Appreciated these anachronistic pharma ads for pain medications from the early 2000s.
https://buff.ly/414cj4q
From Ben Westhoff via the Drugs + Hip-Hop substack

Are overdoses down and why? 📣This blog post was covered by National Public Radio (NPR) on September 18, 2024. By: Nabarun Dasgupta, Colin Miller, Adams Sibley A good analogy is inflation: It's hard to trust official numbers un...

@nabarund.bsky.social posted a good explainer about various possible hypotheses of what's driving this, but my take home is that the jury is still out.
opioiddatalab.ghost.io/are-overdose...

Here are the #nitazenes we have seen recently at the UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab.
The live report data tracker is updated every night https://buff.ly/3CVpRoQ if you want to see the latest

Drug checking behind the scenes! Here's what happens when you run so many dope samples on your GCMS that you wear out the ionization source
https://buff.ly/4fKhbAq
#massspec #chemistry #drugchecking

The fentanyl epidemic in North America and the global reach of synthetic opioids On December 4, join Brookings for an event launching the results of a year-long project on synthetic opioids in the United States and abroad.

The fentanyl epidemic in North America and the global reach of synthetic opioids

Opinion | Why Drug Overdose Deaths Are Dropping for Some, Rising for Others Drug overdose deaths are finally declining. But it’s going to take work to keep this trend going.

more harm, less harm reduction: why the fall in overdose deaths is not being seen in Black, Brown and American Indian communities, my latest www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/o... special thanks to @rnbluthenthal.bsky.social @nabarund.bsky.social & Jon Zibbell & Dan Ciccarone

UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab: November 2024 Newsletter Newly detected substances, BTMPS mystery solved, Watchlist, opioid settlement funding, Black Harm Reduction Network

Is Prozac the only anti-depressant that can be found in street drugs?
Nope. Here's what we found in a sample from October, and our take:

UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab: November 2024 Newsletter Newly detected substances, BTMPS mystery solved, Watchlist, opioid settlement funding, Black Harm Reduction Network

Why do US chemists use different names for street drugs than the rest of the world?
Here's 3 examples from new detections in October:
N-desalkylflurazepam = norfludiazepam
etodesnitazene = etazene
phenazolam = clobromazolam
Explanation in our newsletter

BTMPS Explainer: The Effect of Protonation Vikrant Jandev and Marya Lieberman, UND Blake Joachim (Outside In) and Cole Altomare-Jarczyk and Ivy Sabal (MADDS) What’s up with the IR spectrum of BTMPS? How come the literature spectrum doesn’t…

Oooh, this is come good mystery solving by the #drugchecking community, figuring out why the FTIR spectra for #BTMPS wasn't aligning with the street drug samples. This is harm reduction science in action!

UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab: November 2024 Newsletter Newly detected substances, BTMPS mystery solved, Watchlist, opioid settlement funding, Black Harm Reduction Network

Thanks! Updated on the site and gave you a mention

opioiddatalab.ghost.io/november-new...

N.C. Meet-and-Greet The Doctor Patient Forum's next in-person Meet, Greet, and Eat! Claudia Merandi will give the following presentation:

This is a great upcoming NC event to meet advocates who have been helping people with chronic pain survive in the era of forced tapers and abrupt discontinuations of medications.

Spironolactone (gout medicine) in street drugs? Whyyyyy?
Photo summarizes what we think may have happened
Full story in our newsletter (that you should definitely subscribe to):
opioiddatalab.ghost.io/november-new...

#medsky #harmreduction

Aww, thanks so much! Illyana is a superstar

Loving the monthly Street Drug Analysis Lab newsletter from UNC led by @nabarund.bsky.social. It's an excellent resource to learn about what's going on in our illicit drug supply. For example, they're tracking rises in sedatives like (dex)medetomidine in fentanyl samples. opioiddatalab.ghost.io

UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab: November 2024 Newsletter Newly detected substances, BTMPS mystery solved, Watchlist, opioid settlement funding, Black Harm Reduction Network

Our November newsletter just went live:
BTMPS mystery solved, new nitazene and (dex)medetomidine data trackers, 13 newly detected substances, Watchlist updates, opioid settlement funding, Black Harm Reduction Network

opioiddatalab.ghost.io/november-new...