With drug overdose deaths soaring in Colorado, a new program has been launched to supply at-risk patients with the overdose reversal medication naloxone when they are discharged from hospitals. Hospitals in the Colorado Naloxone Project will distribute the drug to patients who were admitted for overdose, rather than prescribing the drug when they leave, because only 5 percent of those individuals eventually fill those prescriptions. The initiative comes as a “third wave” of the opioid epidemic hits Colorado, driven by an alarming surge in fentanyl illegally produced in Mexico and trafficked to the U.S., which pushed the death rate up 524 percent between 2018 and 2020. Meanwhile, the FDA has approved a new high dose version of naloxone, which is double the potency of current versions. Experts and patient advocates say the higher dosage, to be sold over the counter in pharmacies, is needed because lower-dose versions sometimes must be given multiple times to keep the patient alive until medical help arrives. And finally, it looks like the East End of Long Island may be emerging as a bastion of anti-marijuana forces. Since New York legalized the drug last month, many towns and villages in the area say they want to ban pot sales using the law’s opt-out provision. With a state-imposed deadline of December 31, debate is growing about whether to allow dispensaries to operate, with supporters of a ban arguing that easier access to weed would adversely effect the health of communities and make the roads less safe due to impaired driving. Even with a ban, however, the state has sanctioned home-delivery services, which would be allowed to operate despite the opt-out provision.