Health

VANCOUVER — The British Columbia Supreme Court has blocked new provincial laws against public consumption of illegal substances, prompting concern from the government and a Metro Vancouver mayor who called the decision "pathetic.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia is issuing the first checks from a fund established by the settlement of opioid lawsuits in the state, which has by far the nation’s highest drug overdose death rate .

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska's Republican governor on Friday reiterated his rejection of $18 million in federal funding to help feed children who might otherwise go hungry while school is out.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A judge temporarily blocked Alabama from issuing licenses to medical marijuana dispensaries amid an ongoing legal battle over how the state selected the winning companies.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president inaugurated a huge “super pharmacy” Friday in a bid to end the woes of patients throughout the country who are often told they need a specific medicine — but the hospital in question doesn’t have it.

Capacity issues forced New Brunswick's francophone health authority to ask the public to avoid two of its emergency rooms on Friday unless they need critical care.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a measure Friday that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors, casting the action out of step with many in his own party as thoughtful, limited and “pro-life.

FREDERICTON — New Brunswick's Public Safety Minister Kris Austin revoked a licence Friday from a Saint John scrapyard where a massive fire broke out earlier this year that released plumes of toxic substances into the air and water.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A large pool of dark liquid festering on the floor. No fresh air. Computer displays that would overheat and ooze out a fishy-smelling gel that nauseated the crew.

NEW YORK (AP) — Just months after filing for bankruptcy, SmileDirectClub announced it was shutting down its global operations and halting its teeth-aligner treatments.