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Abuse of prescription painkillers, heroin, and other opioids has spiked over the past decade in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 100 Americans die every day from drug overdoses. Overdoses now kill more people in the US each year than gunshot wounds or car accidents. The stigma that surrounds drug users has made finding a solution difficult.

New England has been hit especially hard by fatal overdoses. In Massachusetts, deaths caused by heroin and other opioids have increased by more than 90 per cent since 2002. In response, the state started a pilot program in 2007 aimed at decreasing the number of fatal overdoses. The centerpiece of the program is a drug called Naloxone, known by its brand name Narcan. It's a nasal spray that can instantly stop an opioid overdose.

VICE News went to Massachusetts to see how effective Narcan has been in stopping fatal overdoses, and uncovered the reasons why other states may have been slow to adopt similar life-saving programs.

Read "To Oppose the Overdose Antidote Narcan Is to Approve Death Sentences for Heroin Users" - http://bit.ly/1FK3mcy

Read "Underground Chemists in the UK Are Trying to Bring Quaaludes Back" - http://bit.ly/1w0PgUT

Watch "Amsterdam's War on Weed" - http://bit.ly/11zfIGY

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Combatting America's Opioid Crisis: Heroin's Antidote

_Read more about this story [here](http://www.vice.com/read/this-new-england-town-has-a-groundbreaking-new-way-to-deal-with-opioid-overdose-506)._

Earlier this week, the Gloucester Police Department in Massachusetts issued [a statement on their Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/GloucesterPoliceDepartment/posts/697808590329673) pledging support and rehab to any heroin addict who walks into their station and hands over their gear. Addicts asking for help won't be arrested&#x2014;instead, they will be assigned an "angel" on the spot, who will bring support and help facilitate the process of getting clean from beginning to end. The department also worked out an agreement with local pharmacies to offer Nasal Narcan, the opioid antagonist, which will allow cheap access to the drug with or without insurance. That's pretty nice. To learn more about New England's heroin crisis, watch our VICE News doc above.

Want to Read Some In-Depth Stories About Heroin?

1\. [Watch Our Documentary, 'Heroin Holiday'  
](http://www.vice.com/video/heroin-holiday)2\. [This Guy from Edinburgh's Estates Made a 'Real-Life Trainspotting' About](http://www.vice.com/read/an-interview-with-the-star-and-director-of-the-documentary-version-of-trainspotting-291) [His Youth  
](http://www.vice.com/read/an-interview-with-the-star-and-director-of-the-documentary-version-of-trainspotting-291)3\. [Austr](http://www.vice.com/read/australians-cant-use-this-african-plant-to-quit-heroin)[alian Heroin Addicts Can't Use Ibogaine to Kick the Habit  
](http://www.vice.com/read/australians-cant-use-this-african-plant-to-quit-heroin)4\. [Inbred Rabbits and Cats High on Smack: the Secret World of Young Veterinarians](http://www.vice.com/read/inbred-rabbits-and-cats-high-on-smack-the-secret-world-of-young-vets-368)

_Follow River on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/pockherc)._

The VICE Guide to Right Now

Hand over your gear and they'll help you get clean.

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Police in a Massachusetts Town Will Actually Assist Heroin Addicts Now, Instead of Locking Them Up

Want to Read Some In-Depth Stories About Heroin?

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Police in a Massachusetts Town Will Actually Assist Heroin Addicts Now, Instead of Locking Them Up

Want to Read Some In-Depth Stories About Heroin?

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