BALTIMORE, MD (January 13, 2016)– Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) officials issued a letter this week providing comment to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Proposed 2016 Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. This is the latest effort from BCHD to combat and ultimately end opioid use disorders abuse and overdose.

“In Baltimore City, we have declared opioid abuse a public health emergency. Though there is much that can be done on the city and state levels, we know that we cannot end the nation’s opioid epidemic without the support of and guidance from our federal partners,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. “We commend the CDC’s efforts to encourage best practices for prescribing, and applaud their continued efforts to bring greater national attention to this public health crisis.”

In an effort to address health concerns among children, Baltimore officials introduced legislation that would require businesses to post warning signs of sugary drinks.

People who drink sugary sodas gain fat in the worst possible places — wrapped around their internal organs, researchers reported Monday.

The U.S. Congress has quitely lifted the federal funding ban on needle exchange programs after more than a quarter century the programs went into effect.