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U.S. Agency Issues New Guidelines to Limit Chronic Use of Opioids

Ransdell Pierson  |  

Nearly two million Americans aged 12 or older either abused or were dependent on prescription opioids in 2014, the CDC said.

Opioids also include heroin, an illegal injectable drug that has become a far cheaper alternative to oral opioids on the streets of many U.S. communities, causing many overdoses.

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Other U.S. health officials on Tuesday said first responders should have wider access to naloxone, a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses.

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