Latest news with #ChrisFarley
Gizmodo
12-07-2025
- Health
- Gizmodo
The Fourth Wave: How Speedballing Is Creating a New Kind of Drug Crisis
Speedballing—the practice of combining a stimulant like cocaine or methamphetamine with an opioid such as heroin or fentanyl—has evolved from a niche subculture to a widespread public health crisis. The practice stems from the early 1900s, when World War I soldiers were often treated with a combination of cocaine and morphine. Once associated with high-profile figures like John Belushi, River Phoenix and Chris Farley, this dangerous polysubstance use has become a leading cause of overdose deaths across the United States since the early- to mid-2010s. I am an assistant professor of public health who has written extensively on methamphetamine and opioid use and the dangerous combination of the two in the United States. As these dangerous combinations of drugs increasingly flood the market, I see an urgent need and opportunity for a new approach to prevention and treatment. Dating back to the 1970s, the term speedballing originally referred to the combination of heroin and cocaine. Combining stimulants and opioids—the former's 'rush' with the latter's calming effect—creates a dangerous physiological conflict. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, stimulant-involved overdose fatalities increased markedly from more than 12,000 annually in 2015 to greater than 57,000 in 2022, a 375% increase. Notably, approximately 70% of stimulant-related overdose deaths in 2022 also involved fentanyl or other synthetic opioids, reflecting the rising prevalence of polysubstance involvement in overdose mortality. Users sought to experience the euphoric 'rush' from the stimulant and the calming effects of the opioid. However, with the proliferation of fentanyl—which is far more potent than heroin—this combination has become increasingly lethal. Fentanyl is often mixed with cocaine or methamphetamine, sometimes without the user's knowledge, leading to unintentional overdoses. The rise in speedballing is part of a broader trend of polysubstance use in the U.S. Since 2010, overdoses involving both stimulants and fentanyl have increased 50-fold, now accounting for approximately 35,000 deaths annually. This has been called the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic. The toxic and contaminated drug supply has exacerbated this crisis. Stimulants like cocaine increase heart rate and blood pressure, while opioids suppress respiratory function. This combination can lead to respiratory failure, cardiovascular collapse, and death. People who use both substances are more than twice as likely to experience a fatal overdose compared with those using opioids alone. The conflicting effects of stimulants and opioids can also exacerbate mental health issues. Users may experience heightened anxiety, depression, and paranoia. The combination can also impair cognitive functions, leading to confusion and poor decision-making. Speedballing can also lead to severe cardiovascular problems, including hypertension, heart attack, and stroke. The strain on the heart and blood vessels from the stimulant, combined with the depressant effects of the opioid, increases the risk of these life-threatening conditions. Increasing awareness about the dangers of speedballing is crucial. I believe that educational campaigns can inform the public about the risks of combining stimulants and opioids and the potential for unintentional fentanyl exposure. There is a great need for better access to treatment for people with stimulant use ddisorder—a condition defined as the continued use of amphetamine-type substances, cocaine, or other stimulants leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, from mild to severe. Treatments for this and other substance use disorders are underfunded and less accessible than those for opioid use disorder. Addressing this gap can help reduce the prevalence of speedballing. Implementing harm reduction strategies by public health officials, community organizations, and health care providers, such as providing fentanyl test strips and naloxone—a medication that reverses opioid overdoses—can save lives. These measures allow individuals to test their drugs for the presence of fentanyl and have immediate access to overdose-reversing medication. Implementing these strategies widely is crucial to reducing overdose deaths and improving community health outcomes. Andrew Yockey, Assistant Professor of Public Health, University of Mississippi. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
American Military News
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- American Military News
Holy Schnikes! 30 years of 'Tommy Boy' to be celebrated in Sandusky
Sandusky, Ohio, will celebrate 30 years of the Chris Farley comedy classic 'Tommy Boy' this summer at Tommy Boy Fest, Aug. 7-9, organizers have announced. The three-day event will feature a car show, concerts, a scavenger hunt and outdoor screenings of the 1995 movie, which took place in Sandusky, home to the movie's fictional brake pad manufacturer, Callahan Auto Parts. Director Peter Segal is scheduled to attend the event, along with the restored 1967 Plymouth Belvedere II GTX convertible used in the movie, according to a press release. The fest will also host a photo op for anyone local named either Tom or Tommy. 'Tommy Boy' stars Farley as Tommy Callahan III and David Spade as Richard Hayden, a pair of salesmen selling car parts on the road throughout the Midwest in an effort to help save Callahan's family business after the death of his father. It also stars Brian Dennehy, Dan Aykroyd, Bo Derek and an uncredited Rob Lowe. The film was released in March 1995 and grossed $32 million at the North American box office. It has since achieved cult status as a fan favorite, especially after the death of Farley, who died in 1997 at age 33. Paramount Pictures, the film's distributor, released a 30th anniversary edition of the film on 4K earlier this year. Sandusky, which is home to Cedar Point, is a roughly two-hour drive from Detroit. More information on the festival is available at ___ © 2025 The Detroit News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘You're Fine': Shark startles woman on Florida guided tour
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WFLA)— A shark was caught on camera swimming by a woman who was on a guided tour near Panama City Beach. The tour operator, Chris Farley, with Flippin' Awesome Adventures, captured the moment the shark swam by the woman. 'You're Fine, you're fine,' Farley said reassuringly. The shark is believed to be a blacktip, Farley said in a post on Instagram. Summer pattern continues through Thursday 'You're Fine': Shark startles woman on Florida guided tour According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a blacktip shark is common in Florida's coastal waters, bays, and estuaries. 'Remember: this is their home. The Gulf is home to lots of sharks species, and humans. We're definitely not on the menu,' Farley said. The blacktip shark is active and is often seen at the surface. They usually form large schools during migration times, FWC said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
David Spade rejected 'Tommy Boy' sequel 2 years ago: 'I can't find a scenario with no Chris Farley'
David Spade revealed that he passed up a chance to do a sequel to the hit 1995 movie Tommy Boy, which he did with the late Chris Farley, just two years ago. "I was pitched a Tommy Boy 2, which was our kids are together," Spade said in an interview on Monday's episode of comedian Theo Von's This Past Weekend podcast. "And I'm like, I just can't find a scenario with no Farley." Spade's Saturday Night Live costar died Dec. 18, 1997, of a drug overdose. He was 33 and was credited in only a couple more films. During his interview, Spade said this one was supposed to be "our kids, and it was about them, and then I was going to come help them on the road or something." Even if Tommy Boy's in the title, he determined that such a project would "be too much of a sell out." He added, "Listen, it was about Christopher." But, he said, "it would have been a blast" to do one right after the first movie, which was about traveling salesmen Tommy Callahan III (played by Farley), and Spade's Richard Hayden teaming up to go on the road in an attempt to save Callahan Auto Parts. The underachieving Tommy and his father's uptight assistant encounter a series of hilarious scenarios. In his conversation, Spade noted that, although he and Farley hadn't done a sequel, he and his close friend had worked together again in the movie Black Sheep, which was "the same type of movie." The comedy was released the following summer and directed by Penelope Spheeris, who'd helmed Wayne's World. Spade said they should have just kept Tommy Boy director, Peter Segal, for a sequel then, but he wasn't available. (Segal directed My Fellow Americans, a comedy with Dan Akroyd, Jack Lemmon, and James Garner that was released in 1996.)Spade gave a glimpse of Farley, with whom he shared the SNL stage from 1990 to 1995, in December 2022, as he and fellow alum Dana Carvey marked 25 years since Farley's death on their Fly On the Wall podcast. "Chris, he was always sort of in awe of literally every other cast member. Just going, 'So funny. Phil's [Hartman] so great. Oh my God.' And then everyone's like, 'Wait, you're the great one dude,'" Spade recalled. "Or even [John] Belushi. There's a point when I said, 'Actually, I think you're better than Belushi.' He's like, 'Shut the f--- up.' I'm like, 'I'm telling you, it's been long enough where I'm starting to flip.' We grew up loving Belushi, of course. And I'm like, 'It's getting close, dude.'" See his conversation with Von above. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Geek Tyrant
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
David Spade Says He Rejected Recent TOMMY BOY 2 Pitch - "I Can't Imagine It Without Chris Farley" "It Would Be a Sell Out" — GeekTyrant
David Spade was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1996, with an iconic cast that created some of the most memorable characters and skits in the show's run, and went on to have successful film and TV careers. One cast mate Spade was closest to was the late, great Chris Farley. The pair made films like Tommy Boy and Black Sheep together, and appeared in other SNL spinoff films. There's no doubt they would have gone on to make many more classic comedies if Farley hadn't passed away in 1997. The studios wonder if they could create that magic again, in a sequel without Farley, but Spade is not down for a return to those stories without his friend. In a recent appearance on Theo Von's podcast (via Variety), Spade revealed he was pitched an idea to make a sequel to Tommy Boy , his 1995 buddy comedy with Farley. Spade shut the pitch down immediately considering there is no Tommy Boy without Farley. 'I was pitched a Tommy Boy 2 , which was our characters' kids are together,' Spade said. 'I was pitched this two years ago, and I was like I can't find a scenario with no Chris Farley. He was the whole movie. It would be too much of a sell out. I can't imagine it. No one could do that. It was our kids and it was about them and I was going to help them on the road. Listen, it was about Chris. If we did another one back then it would've been a blast.' In Tommy Boy , Farley starred as the immature son of an auto tycoon. When his father died, Farley's character teamed up with Spade's accountant to try and save the family business. Although the film was not a box office hit (it grossed only $32 million worldwide), it became a cult classic thanks to its home video release. Spade and Farley quickly reunited a year later for the movie Black Sheep . Spade told Esquire magazine in 2022 that the two actors were considering a third movie before Farley's death. 'Two years after Tommy Boy came out, they told us it made $100 million on video. We couldn't believe it,' Spade said at the time. 'It really grew over time. We talked about doing another one, but Farley wanted to do more drama, so I said, 'Go do that.' I ran into him two months before [he died] and he was like, 'Everyone always talks about Tommy Boy and Black Sheep . It's not as much fun out there. Let's try to get one going again.' … I think about Farley every day. I have his old coat from Tommy Boy .' 'He liked me being smart and him being dumb,' Spade added of the duo's comedic personas. 'Farley and I were always goofing around. He always wanted me to make fun of him, because he thought it was so hilarious. We played off that. He was big. But the truth is, when you look back, he wasn't that overweight. He was big, but he really ballooned toward the end. He always said he was the fat guy, but he wasn't super fat.' It's so sad to think of what could have been when it comes to the untimely deaths of some of the greats like Farley. He was a comedy legend, and he is sorely missed.
