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Nearly 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, according to final figures released Thursday. The official number was 106,699, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. That’s nearly 16% higher than the nearly 92,000 overdose deaths in 2020. (Stobbe, 12/22)

The number of fatal drug overdoses in Connecticut is holding steady with last year, but xylazine, a tranquilizer used on horses and cows, is showing up in more and more cases, officials said. The state first started seeing xylazine mixed with heroin or fentanyl in 2019 when it was found in 71 deaths, records show. So far this year, xylazine has been detected in 279 deaths. (Altimari, 12/22)

More than 40% of street drug samples tested in Rhode Island contained the animal tranquilizer xylazine, according to a new analysis out of Brown University. It’s the latest sign that the drug, which causes sedation and can lead to skin infections and overdoses, is continuing to spread through the illicit drug supply in the United States. (Wetsman, 12/22)

As the U.S. deals with its deadliest overdose crisis to date, a national crime-prevention group is calling on the Justice Department to clamp down on social media’s role in the spread of fentanyl, the drug largely driving a troubling spike in overdose deaths among teenagers. The National Crime Prevention Council sent a letter Wednesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland, calling for an investigation. The group known for ads featuring McGruff the Crime Dog is especially concerned about the sale of fake pills laced with fentanyl on Snapchat, a popular platform among teens. (Whitehurst, 12/22)

Chinese chemical companies are making more ingredients for illegal fentanyl than ever. Strained relations between Beijing and Washington are undermining efforts to stop the flow. Among the available products are compounds with obscure names such as N-Phenyl-4-piperidinamine, which Mexican cartels purchase to make into fentanyl. The opioid has become the most deadly illegal drug the U.S. has ever seen. (Spegele and Wernau, 12/22)

Texas lawmakers are changing their tune about how to tackle a growing fentanyl crisis in the state ahead of the next legislative session starting in January. Earlier this month, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott led the way by coming out in favor of legalizing fentanyl test strips, which help users identify whether the drugs they are planning on taking contain the deadly synthetic opioid. Abbott previously opposed such a policy but said the increase in opioid overdose deaths had brought a “better understanding” that more needs to be done by the state to tackle the problem. (Barragan, 12/23)

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Wednesday that his office is suing Kroger, Albertsons and Rite Aid, arguing their pharmacy chains failed to act as the “final barrier” against opioid over-prescription. (12/21)

A train entering the United States from Mexico contained hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills and other drugs, border officials said Wednesday. Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection were working rail operations when they searched a train coming into the Nogales, Arizona, Port of Entry. (Casiano, 12/22)