Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
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Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
@stephen-murray.com
7.4K followers 4.8K following 270 posts
Husband & dad / Director of SafeSpot Overdose Hotline/ Paramedic from This American Life Ep809 The Call / Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor Boston University School of Public Health / VIEWS MINE!

http://stephen-murray.com
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Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP @stephen-murray.com · Nov 7
“People [who use drugs] are afraid to access the programs we have because they are afraid to lose their housing, they’re afraid to lose their children, they’re afraid to lose their freedom”
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
amersa.org
Have insights on emerging substances, treatments, or tech in substance use care?

Submit an episode proposal for AMERSA’s upcoming Frontiers in Substance Use Care podcast series!

Proposals due December 7, 2025
🔗 Learn more → amersa.org/2026-amersa-...
November 1, 2025 at 5:00 PM
stephen-murray.com
Here we go again! Typical dangerous misinformation in this article.

The symptoms experienced: “shaky hands, dizziness, and hot flashes.”

None of these are symptoms of fentanyl overdose. This article also reinforces myths around Halloween candy fentanyl toward the end.
October 29, 2025 at 8:18 PM
stephen-murray.com
“In case no one has told you lately, you have value. Your contributions to this world have value. Your life has value. What you do for yourself and the people around you matters.”

#overdose #recovery #recover #recovered #drugpolicy #harmreduction #harmreductionsaveslives #harmreductionislove
October 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
stephen-murray.com
Come free-sub to my Substack! substack.com/@stephenhrnr...
October 26, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
harmredux37.bsky.social
@clairezagorski.bsky.social @ryanmarino.bsky.social
@stephen-murray.com

Now we are expected to believe than officer needed Narcan from a dope bag hitting the outside of his car at 90mph? This may be the all time BS “exposure”claim in history!

www.masslive.com/news/2025/10...
Mass. man sentenced for high-speed chase that sent trooper to hospital
The trooper had to be revived with Narcan after his cruiser was hit by discarded narcotics, police said.
www.masslive.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:16 PM
stephen-murray.com
Who am I gonna see at DPA?!
October 9, 2025 at 12:17 AM
stephen-murray.com
“Detectives say traffickers are intentionally making fentanyl in candy-like forms to attract children and young adults in an effort to drive addiction.”

Drugs attract young adults because drugs are awesome, offer an escape from violent end stage capitalism, fill mental health treatment voids…
October 5, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
drugpolicy.org
Stephen Murray’s journey to stability began with support, not punishment. Forcing people into treatment can worsen outcomes and increase overdose risk. With high costs and long waitlists, many struggle to get help. That’s why he calls for accessible care grounded in healing, dignity, and safety
When I decided to stop using, what carried me was the belief that I could stop because I wanted to with the support of my family, friends, and care providers -- not because someone forced me. Forced treatment discharges people to the same environment, with a new wound: a loss of autonomy at the hands of those who claimed they are helping. In addition, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, individuals with substance use disorder leaving forced treatment are 41% more likely to overdose within 30 days. As the leader of a hotline where we keep people safe while they are using, I have seen how kindness and unconditional support change behavior in ways punishment never could. You can't heal trauma in a traumatic environment, and you can't build trust by locking someone behind bars. If we want to save lives, we need to stop clinging to coercion and start making care accessible and free that honors people's dignity, autonomy, and right to be safe. -Stephen Murray
October 3, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
narcocast.bsky.social
👀
stephen-murray.com Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP @stephen-murray.com · Sep 30
Something to keep an eye on — product moving through FDA fast track for “treatment of acute methamphamine intoxication.” Research is funded by NIH/NIDA.

Press release is here: www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
October 1, 2025 at 6:41 PM
stephen-murray.com
Something to keep an eye on — product moving through FDA fast track for “treatment of acute methamphamine intoxication.” Research is funded by NIH/NIDA.

Press release is here: www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
September 30, 2025 at 7:18 PM
stephen-murray.com
We seem to be getting a new flood of these stories... I searched all the available info — there is no discussion anywhere of the symptoms the officer allegedly experienced and no bodycam footage on any of the news stories. We can safely say that a wet soggy bag of dope is not going to go airborne.
September 30, 2025 at 1:34 AM
stephen-murray.com
No… they didn’t. Fentanyl misinformation is now an international phenomenon.

Paging @ryanmarino.bsky.social
84° LFY.coml ACADIANANS LOCAL NEWS LEADER • lo buenol ANUA seno tenta conmigo cormigo uenta conmigo MÃS CHIHUAHUA más de lo bueno MAS CHIHUAHUA más de lo buenc cuenta conmi conmigo MAS lo bueno uenta conmig. enta MAS CHIHUAHUA más de lo bueno lo be LOCAL 2 state police officers overdose on fentanyl during drug seizure by: Julian Resendiz Posted : 5222, 202510163MM EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) - Two state police officers in Chihuahua, Mexico, are recovering in a hospital after becoming ill while conducting a drug seizure. The two unnamed officers entered a home late in Chihuahua City last week to arrest drug suspects
September 23, 2025 at 2:59 PM
stephen-murray.com
It’s absolute bullshit to say you can’t help people until they stop using. We can and do work on safety, housing, health, and dignity while people use.
September 15, 2025 at 8:49 PM
stephen-murray.com
If your solution to homelessness doesn’t center on providing housing… you are deeply unserious.
September 14, 2025 at 10:49 PM
stephen-murray.com
We have seen this strategy used before — I shared a while back a cop in Philadelphia doing this (I reported him and never got a response). Countless people on video giving naloxone to people who are awake. This takes it a step further and is absolutely disgusting.

sfstandard.com/2025/09/11/s...
News article: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard News Fed up with drug users, street vigilantes are wielding Narcan like a weapon' Online commenters have called the alleged use of Narcan on unsuspecting victims a "new strategy for moving bums out of your way." Health experts say it could kill. By David Sjostedt Published Sep. 11, 2025 • 6:00am
September 13, 2025 at 1:01 AM
stephen-murray.com
Duolingo is on to me….
September 9, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
quatoria.bsky.social
imagine spending your life in such a state of fear and paranoia that you consider it reasonable to believe people are poisoning door handles with fentanyl traps, that this is a thing that occurs and you have to watch out for
stephen-murray.com Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP @stephen-murray.com · Sep 7
For the upteenth time — you are NOT having a fentanyl overdose if you feel hot, panicked, drive yourself to the hospital, receive naloxone while awake, get dizzy.

If she really felt like she was going to pass out while driving, it’s incredibly irresponsible to continue driving.
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - A local woman said she narrowly escaped an attempted attack at a gas station after touching a door handle coated in what she believed was fentanyl, leading to her hospitalization for a suspected overdose from skin exposure. Jess Stonerock detailed the harrowing ordeal in a Facebook post Thursday, describing how she stopped at an Exxon station near the Chillicothe fairgrounds to use the restroom after picking up her sick child from a friend's house. "Once we got into Chillicothe I realized I had to use the restroom asap. So before turning on 207, I decided to just drive half a mile past to the Exxon station by the Chillicothe fairgrounds," Stonerock wrote. She noticed the station's lights were dimmed but assumed it was still open. After telling her son to lock the doors, she approached the building. "I tried to pull the door, no luck. But I felt 'dirt' on my hands after touching the handle, so I just brushed them off on my pants," she recounted. "My first thought was, 'maybe they have an outside restroom?' About 10 minutes later, while driving down Route 207, Stonerock began experiencing severe symptoms. "Ten minutes down 207 I started getting hot. I thought it was just my fight or flight senses that had locked in, but I just kept getting hotter, and then dizzier and then I felt like I was gonna pass out right there," she said. She raced to Adena Hospital. ". ....drug tested by the doctor in the E.R. and was told fentanyl does not show on their test, only opioids, but he said since I responded so well to the narcan and had the exact symptoms, he was 90% positive it was a fentanyl overdose. Stonerock was hospitalized and treated with Narcan, sharing photos of her bloody nose, arm rash and other injuries from the episode. • "We are home now, terrified but okay physically. God had his hand on us for sure," she added. "Please be aware of your surroundings. I never thought this would happen to me but it did. It can happen to you too."
September 7, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
maiasz.bsky.social
If you're anxious & awake, it's not opioid OD. You're definitely not overdosing on an opioid if you are capable of driving.... [besides the fact you can't OD on fentanyl by touching it & this ER dr doesn't know what opioid overdose looks like & doesn't know that fentanyl is an opioid]
stephen-murray.com Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP @stephen-murray.com · Sep 7
For the upteenth time — you are NOT having a fentanyl overdose if you feel hot, panicked, drive yourself to the hospital, receive naloxone while awake, get dizzy.

If she really felt like she was going to pass out while driving, it’s incredibly irresponsible to continue driving.
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - A local woman said she narrowly escaped an attempted attack at a gas station after touching a door handle coated in what she believed was fentanyl, leading to her hospitalization for a suspected overdose from skin exposure. Jess Stonerock detailed the harrowing ordeal in a Facebook post Thursday, describing how she stopped at an Exxon station near the Chillicothe fairgrounds to use the restroom after picking up her sick child from a friend's house. "Once we got into Chillicothe I realized I had to use the restroom asap. So before turning on 207, I decided to just drive half a mile past to the Exxon station by the Chillicothe fairgrounds," Stonerock wrote. She noticed the station's lights were dimmed but assumed it was still open. After telling her son to lock the doors, she approached the building. "I tried to pull the door, no luck. But I felt 'dirt' on my hands after touching the handle, so I just brushed them off on my pants," she recounted. "My first thought was, 'maybe they have an outside restroom?' About 10 minutes later, while driving down Route 207, Stonerock began experiencing severe symptoms. "Ten minutes down 207 I started getting hot. I thought it was just my fight or flight senses that had locked in, but I just kept getting hotter, and then dizzier and then I felt like I was gonna pass out right there," she said. She raced to Adena Hospital. ". ....drug tested by the doctor in the E.R. and was told fentanyl does not show on their test, only opioids, but he said since I responded so well to the narcan and had the exact symptoms, he was 90% positive it was a fentanyl overdose. Stonerock was hospitalized and treated with Narcan, sharing photos of her bloody nose, arm rash and other injuries from the episode. • "We are home now, terrified but okay physically. God had his hand on us for sure," she added. "Please be aware of your surroundings. I never thought this would happen to me but it did. It can happen to you too."
September 7, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
ryanmarino.bsky.social
I want to point out that this is not the first WTFentanyl incident in Chillicothe, Ohio. These episodes beget more episodes. www.wmur.com/article/repo...
Fentanyl likely sickened 24 people at Ohio prison, hospital official says
One inmate and 23 staffers at the Ross Correctional Institution, which is about 45 miles south of Columbus, were treated at a nearby hospital.
www.wmur.com
September 7, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
ryanmarino.bsky.social
You cannot overdose on fentanyl by touching powder on a doorknob. Period.

But if you think you are overdosing, you should not drive your car…which you also shouldn’t do if you are having symptoms that are not consistent with fentanyl like this person did. “Responding to Narcan” is placebo effect.
Symptoms of opioid toxicity: • Depressed mental status • Decreased respiratory rate • Decreased tidal volume (shallow breathing) • Miotic (constricted) pupils Nonspecific symptoms like lightheadedness, dizziness palpitations, numbness and tingling, fear, anxiety, abnormal taste, etc are not indicative of opioid toxicity Indications for Narcan (naloxone): • Apnea* • Hypoxemia • Bradypnea (respiratory rate <12/minute) • Hypopnea (& hypercapnea) *apneic or bradypneic patients should receive bag-valve mask ventilation prior to & during naloxone administration because of a risk of ARDS
September 7, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
thryse.com
This shit is completely made up. Completely.
stephen-murray.com Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP @stephen-murray.com · Sep 7
For the upteenth time — you are NOT having a fentanyl overdose if you feel hot, panicked, drive yourself to the hospital, receive naloxone while awake, get dizzy.

If she really felt like she was going to pass out while driving, it’s incredibly irresponsible to continue driving.
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - A local woman said she narrowly escaped an attempted attack at a gas station after touching a door handle coated in what she believed was fentanyl, leading to her hospitalization for a suspected overdose from skin exposure. Jess Stonerock detailed the harrowing ordeal in a Facebook post Thursday, describing how she stopped at an Exxon station near the Chillicothe fairgrounds to use the restroom after picking up her sick child from a friend's house. "Once we got into Chillicothe I realized I had to use the restroom asap. So before turning on 207, I decided to just drive half a mile past to the Exxon station by the Chillicothe fairgrounds," Stonerock wrote. She noticed the station's lights were dimmed but assumed it was still open. After telling her son to lock the doors, she approached the building. "I tried to pull the door, no luck. But I felt 'dirt' on my hands after touching the handle, so I just brushed them off on my pants," she recounted. "My first thought was, 'maybe they have an outside restroom?' About 10 minutes later, while driving down Route 207, Stonerock began experiencing severe symptoms. "Ten minutes down 207 I started getting hot. I thought it was just my fight or flight senses that had locked in, but I just kept getting hotter, and then dizzier and then I felt like I was gonna pass out right there," she said. She raced to Adena Hospital. ". ....drug tested by the doctor in the E.R. and was told fentanyl does not show on their test, only opioids, but he said since I responded so well to the narcan and had the exact symptoms, he was 90% positive it was a fentanyl overdose. Stonerock was hospitalized and treated with Narcan, sharing photos of her bloody nose, arm rash and other injuries from the episode. • "We are home now, terrified but okay physically. God had his hand on us for sure," she added. "Please be aware of your surroundings. I never thought this would happen to me but it did. It can happen to you too."
September 7, 2025 at 8:23 PM
stephen-murray.com
I spent all weekend glued to this book by @equalityalec.bsky.social — it is an ESSENTIAL read for anyone in drug policy or harm reduction spaces. I have learned so much that my brain actually might explode and I have so much work to do now
September 7, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
scottculkin.bsky.social
I administered Naloxone (Narcan) many times as a paramedic. I NEVER gave it to anyone who was awake. That is not what it is for!
stephen-murray.com Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP @stephen-murray.com · Sep 7
For the upteenth time — you are NOT having a fentanyl overdose if you feel hot, panicked, drive yourself to the hospital, receive naloxone while awake, get dizzy.

If she really felt like she was going to pass out while driving, it’s incredibly irresponsible to continue driving.
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - A local woman said she narrowly escaped an attempted attack at a gas station after touching a door handle coated in what she believed was fentanyl, leading to her hospitalization for a suspected overdose from skin exposure. Jess Stonerock detailed the harrowing ordeal in a Facebook post Thursday, describing how she stopped at an Exxon station near the Chillicothe fairgrounds to use the restroom after picking up her sick child from a friend's house. "Once we got into Chillicothe I realized I had to use the restroom asap. So before turning on 207, I decided to just drive half a mile past to the Exxon station by the Chillicothe fairgrounds," Stonerock wrote. She noticed the station's lights were dimmed but assumed it was still open. After telling her son to lock the doors, she approached the building. "I tried to pull the door, no luck. But I felt 'dirt' on my hands after touching the handle, so I just brushed them off on my pants," she recounted. "My first thought was, 'maybe they have an outside restroom?' About 10 minutes later, while driving down Route 207, Stonerock began experiencing severe symptoms. "Ten minutes down 207 I started getting hot. I thought it was just my fight or flight senses that had locked in, but I just kept getting hotter, and then dizzier and then I felt like I was gonna pass out right there," she said. She raced to Adena Hospital. ". ....drug tested by the doctor in the E.R. and was told fentanyl does not show on their test, only opioids, but he said since I responded so well to the narcan and had the exact symptoms, he was 90% positive it was a fentanyl overdose. Stonerock was hospitalized and treated with Narcan, sharing photos of her bloody nose, arm rash and other injuries from the episode. • "We are home now, terrified but okay physically. God had his hand on us for sure," she added. "Please be aware of your surroundings. I never thought this would happen to me but it did. It can happen to you too."
September 7, 2025 at 4:39 PM
stephen-murray.com
For the upteenth time — you are NOT having a fentanyl overdose if you feel hot, panicked, drive yourself to the hospital, receive naloxone while awake, get dizzy.

If she really felt like she was going to pass out while driving, it’s incredibly irresponsible to continue driving.
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - A local woman said she narrowly escaped an attempted attack at a gas station after touching a door handle coated in what she believed was fentanyl, leading to her hospitalization for a suspected overdose from skin exposure. Jess Stonerock detailed the harrowing ordeal in a Facebook post Thursday, describing how she stopped at an Exxon station near the Chillicothe fairgrounds to use the restroom after picking up her sick child from a friend's house. "Once we got into Chillicothe I realized I had to use the restroom asap. So before turning on 207, I decided to just drive half a mile past to the Exxon station by the Chillicothe fairgrounds," Stonerock wrote. She noticed the station's lights were dimmed but assumed it was still open. After telling her son to lock the doors, she approached the building. "I tried to pull the door, no luck. But I felt 'dirt' on my hands after touching the handle, so I just brushed them off on my pants," she recounted. "My first thought was, 'maybe they have an outside restroom?' About 10 minutes later, while driving down Route 207, Stonerock began experiencing severe symptoms. "Ten minutes down 207 I started getting hot. I thought it was just my fight or flight senses that had locked in, but I just kept getting hotter, and then dizzier and then I felt like I was gonna pass out right there," she said. She raced to Adena Hospital. ". ....drug tested by the doctor in the E.R. and was told fentanyl does not show on their test, only opioids, but he said since I responded so well to the narcan and had the exact symptoms, he was 90% positive it was a fentanyl overdose. Stonerock was hospitalized and treated with Narcan, sharing photos of her bloody nose, arm rash and other injuries from the episode. • "We are home now, terrified but okay physically. God had his hand on us for sure," she added. "Please be aware of your surroundings. I never thought this would happen to me but it did. It can happen to you too."
September 7, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
clairezagorski.bsky.social
AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA

HELL YEAH
September 5, 2025 To Whom It May Concern, This letter is to inform you that effective August 26, 2025, Indivior has discontinued promotion for OP VEER (nalmefene) nasal spray 2.7mg. Indivior has not taken this action due to safety or efficacy issues related to the product. Rather, the decision was based on business reasons and shifting our focus to other parts of our business. While we will no longer actively market OPVEE®, Indivior will continue to make the product available for healthcare professionals to prescribe, and for public interest entities to order via accessing OpveeDirect. Our medical team is available to assist you and to answer any medical inquiries you might have. They can be reached at infoMIU@indivior.com or by calling 1-877-782-6966. Also, to report adverse events related to OPVEE, please call us at 1-877-782-6966 or email us at: PatientSafetyNA@Indivior.com Full prescribing information for OPVEE is available at: Combined-USPI Patient-Info_IFU_Clean_ 05July2023.pdf Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to providing the best care for your patients and the communities that you serve. Sincerely, Ann Wheeler, Pharm D
September 5, 2025 at 11:31 PM