Maryland, a state that already had one of the country's most punishing overdose mortality rates, notched a record-high number of drug deaths last year. The grim milestone was fueled by an alarming increase of fentanyl-related fatalities.

Despite renewed efforts to beat back the opioid epidemic, newly released figures from Maryland's health department show there were 2,282 intoxication deaths in 2017. Nearly 90 percent of those deaths were opioid-related, particularly the powerful, cheap synthetic forms that have been sweeping across America amid the nation's worst-ever drug crisis.

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Maryland's deadly opioid crisis is showing no signs of abating with the latest state data highlighting a rising number of deaths due to fetanyl use.

Fentanyl-related deaths continue to rise, increasing from 1,119 in 2016 to 1,594 in 2017, according to information released Thursday on unintentional drug and alcohol-related intoxication deaths from the Maryland Department of Health. The agency's statistics include deaths in 2017 and the first three months of 2018.

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With rising childhood obesity rates a growing concern in the United States, one city has taken a big step towards reducing kids’ sugar intake. Baltimore has just become the first major city in the country to have soda banned from kids’ menus.

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A major US city has made it illegal for cafes and restaurants to include sugary drinks on children's menus. 

The city – in the state of Maryland which has a population of more than six million – has prohibited restaurants offering kids soft drinks, instead making the default kids' menu options water, milk and 100 percent fruit juices.

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