�������ýҕ�l

Increased injection drug use has led to a spike in cases of the life-threatening heart condition endocarditis, with cases rapidly accelerating since the onset of Covid-19. The increased case count is one of the lesser-known side effects of the deadly addiction epidemic. (Facher, 1/17)

A record 310 homeless people died in the Seattle area last year, highlighting the region’s struggle to house the thousands of people living on its streets. The 310 deaths in King County surpassed the previous record of 195 homeless deaths set in 2018, the Seattle Times reported, and marked a 65% jump over 2021. (1/17)

The medication xylazine is used to sedate horses and cattle. But when mixed with opioids and injected by humans, it can cause people to black out for hours and leave festering wounds that can result in amputations. The withdrawal symptoms are said to be worse than those from heroin or methadone. When the animal sedative is cut into fentanyl and heroin and sold on the street, it’s commonly referred to as “tranq” or “tranq dope.” (Riggins, 1/16)

Dealers clustered at Seventh and Mission streets, openly selling drugs. At their feet, people smoked fentanyl off tinfoil while others nodded off. Tents dotted the sidewalks. Piles of food scraps, trash and feces filled the gutter. Pedestrians, including a woman pushing a baby in a stroller, nearly swerved into traffic on Seventh Street to get past. Laurie Steves, 57, stood amid the commerce and the chaos, waiting. (Knight, 1/14)

It’s too soon to say whether 2022 will be the deadliest year on record for accidental drug overdoses in Rhode Island. Determining causes of death takes time, and the data lags by months. But the early picture does not look good. For nearly every month in 2022 for which there is full data — January to June — the number of people who fatally overdosed in Rhode Island is higher than the same month of 2021. Only February was lower, and only slightly. (Amaral, 1/13)

For the second time in a month, a Colorado library has closed its doors to clean up methamphetamine contamination. Officials in the Denver suburb of Englewood shut down the city library last week within a couple of hours of getting test results Wednesday showing that the contamination in the facility’s restrooms exceeded state thresholds, city spokesman Chris Harguth said. (Slevin and Peipert, 1/17)