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Scientists and doctors say the case is clear: The best way to tackle the country's opioid epidemic is to get more people on medications that have been proven in studies to reduce relapses and, ultimately, overdoses. Yet, only a fraction of the more than 4 million people believed to abuse prescription painkillers or heroin in the U.S. are being given what's called medication-assisted treatment. One reason is the limited availability of the treatment. But it's also the case that stigma around the addiction drugs has inhibited their use. (Hsu, 5/17)

A bill that would slightly tighten the state's Prescription Monitoring Program by requiring doctors to sign up for credentials to log into the system has now passed both houses of the state Legislature. (Collins, 5/17)