The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - February 22, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Demand for behavioral health care in U.S. outstrips capacity | Pentagaon acknowledges military OD epidemic | FDA considers making Narcan available OTC
Fentanyl
Advocates highlight risks of NJ proposal for tougher fentanyl punishments | Governors vow to work together to address fentanyl crisis
State and Local
Former MA police officer wins alcohol use disorder discrimination claim | With NY’s regulated cannabis industry comes increased use among youth | SLP looks at CA’s 2023 legislative proposals
Studies/Research in the News
U. of Mich. report supports e-cigarettes as “first line” smoking cessation aid | Cocaine addiction makes the brain age faster
Opinion
Safe sober spaces and the BIPOC community | On becoming a better recovery ally | War on drugs isn’t working
Podcasts
Johann Hari on the Dopey Podcast | Flourishing After Addiction interviews Dr. Jud Brewer about the science of addiction
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National
U.S. FDA panel backs OTC opioid overdose drug, proposes label changes
Emergent BioSolutions Inc's (EBS.N) over-the-counter version of opioid overdose reversing drug received unanimous support from U.S. Food and Drug Administration's panel of advisers, sending shares of the contract drugmaker up nearly 16% after market. The vote puts the naloxone-based treatment Narcan on track to potentially become the first opioid overdose drug to be sold OTC nationwide. Naloxone rapidly reverses or blocks the effects of an overdose, restoring normal respiration.
Reuters - Feb. 17, 2023
Overflowing demand for mental health care stretching hospitals, new data shows
Hospitals and clinics are stretched well beyond their capacity to treat patients who need mental health care, according to new federal data — utilizing 144% of inpatient beds designated for psychiatric treatment. The figure underscores a long ongoing crisis in the country's shortage of psychiatric inpatient beds.
CBS - Feb. 17, 2023
Pentagon Finally Stops Hiding Military Overdose Epidemic
After 15,293 overdoses and 332 deaths over five years, the military’s top brass is ready to admit there’s a problem. The U.S. Army Special Forces, better known as the Green Berets, has a serious problem with substance abuse and fatal drug overdoses. The same is true of the Army’s two most important infantry divisions: the 101st Airborne Division and the 82nd Airborne Division. That’s the takeaway of data released by the Pentagon this week to a group of five U.S. senators, led by Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey. Markey, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and others grew concerned about rising drug use in the military after reading a report in the September issue of Rolling Stone that at least 14 and as many as 30 American soldiers had died in 2020 and 2021 of overdoses at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Fort Bragg is the headquarters of the Special Forces, as well as the top-secret Joint Special Operations Command, the “black ops” component of the military.
Rollingstone - Feb. 15, 2023
Watch live: FDA holds meeting to discuss whether Narcan should be made available over the counter
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday will consider making Narcan, commonly administered as a nasal spray to treat opioid overdoses, available as an over-the-counter nonprescription medication.
The Hill - Feb. 15, 2023
FDA considers making Narcan opioid overdose antidote available without prescription
Advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration will meet Wednesday to discuss whether a nasal spray version of the opioid overdose antidote Narcan should be made available over-the-counter. The Baltimore-area company Emergent BioSolutions Inc. submitted an application to the FDA late last year to be allowed to sell generic naloxone hydrochloride without a prescription, the first such application for a naloxone spray.
CBS - Feb. 15, 2023
What Parents Need To Know About Cannabis Gummies And Edibles
The accessibility of marijuana products has expanded rapidly in recent years. These changes to the law have benefits for families, freeing them from the punishing limitations that drug convictions impose on education, employment and housing options. Parents in this growing number of states will no longer be separated from their children and incarcerated for the crime of possessing marijuana. An unintended consequence of legalization and expanded access, however, has been an exponential rise in accidental ingestion of cannabis products by children. In 2017, 207 ingestions in children younger than 6 were reported to the National Poison Data System.
Huffington Post - Feb. 15, 2023
3 Ways Digital Health Can Curb Opioid Use
The power of digital health in helping people manage pain is clear, yet it remains untapped potential. All the players, from digital health vendors to payers and providers, need to work together to make it a scalable reality. Clearly, the nation’s strategies to lessen opioid-related deaths are not working. Even though opioids are off the table in many instances, people still experience pain. So how do we address pain management effectively with little or no opioids? One solution is digital health, an effective – though underutilized – tool for pain management.
Medcity News - Feb. 10, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Podcasts Comments
Fentanyl
Fighting fentanyl: Community working to overcome addiction
With fentanyl-related deaths, hospitalizations and arrests increasing as part of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has labeled an opioid epidemic, the El Dorado County [California] community is working together to fight back. El Dorado County’s Coalition for Overdose Prevention and Education has launched its newest campaign, Fighting Fentanyl in EDC, to provide information on the drug that’s use is on the rise nationwide.
Mountain Democrat - Feb. 17, 2023
California lawmakers take aim at social media role in youth fentanyl use and sex trafficking
How much responsibility do social media platforms bear when people use them to sell kids a deadly dose of fentanyl, pay teenagers to livestream strip teases or recruit minors who are sold for sex? Those are questions California lawmakers will try to answer this year in their latest effort to regulate social media, a debate that will play out amid deliberation at the Supreme Court over whether federal law shields platforms from liability for manipulating what users see. After a failed effort last year to pass a sweeping measure to allow more lawsuits against social networks for harm caused to children, lawmakers have come back this year with bills that take a more targeted approach.
Los Angeles Times - Feb. 17, 2023
As New Jersey seeks harsher punishments for fentanyl possession and dealing, advocates say the new laws risk harming people with addiction
New Jersey lawmakers are advancing a pair of bills that would toughen sentences for fentanyl possession and dealing, which advocates for people who use drugs fear could end up deterring people from reporting overdoses and punish people struggling with addiction.
Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb. 16, 2023
Horrific new street drug 'tranq' found in S.F. overdose victims, showing dangerous shift in supply
At least four drug overdose victims who died late last year had traces of a horrific new street drug mixed with fentanyl in their systems, according to city officials, evidence that the animal sedative colloquially known as “tranq” has begun to infiltrate the city’s drug supply. While San Francisco’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner only found low levels of the drug, xylazine, in four out of the 145 victims who were tested, officials in the Department of Public Health said the discovery is “concerning” and that they also expect to see an increase in its prevalence on the city’s streets.
San Francisco Chronicle - Feb. 16, 2023
Senate hearing on fentanyl outlines international supply chain that brings drug to U.S.
A Congressional hearing on fentanyl brought some of the Biden administration's key drug officials together to examine how to address what is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45.
PBS - Feb. 15, 2023
Portland resident warns addicts are using food stamps to buy fentanyl: 'Zombies on our streets'
Addicts in Portland are reportedly turning to their food stamps to fuel their drug addiction, recycling bottles to garner cash to buy more fentanyl, all at the expense of the city's taxpayers. Portland resident Angela Todd released shocking footage showing people on the streets appearing to dump out water bottles shortly before cashing in on the plastic to raise money to buy more drugs.
Fox - Feb. 14, 2023
Governors find common cause in fighting addiction
A bipartisan panel of governors from Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico and North Dakota said they agreed on elements of each other’s ideas to address addiction and the fentanyl crisis, speaking Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
POLITICO - Feb. 12, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Podcasts Comments
State / Local
SLP’s first look at 2023 California Legislative Proposals
After the Feb. 17 deadline to introduce new bills, SLP summarizes this year’s proposals related to overdose prevention and response, fentanyl task forces and reporting/study bills, fentanyl sentencing, decriminalization of psychedelic substances, treatment and prevention, the stigma of addiction, gambling and social media addiction…and more.
Sober Linings Playbook - Feb. 20, 2023
Massachusetts: Former Fairhaven cop and brother urge disabilities commission to address addiction
The former Fairhaven police officer who recently won a lawsuit against the town for discrimination based on alcoholism, and his brother, an addiction educator, appeared before the Fairhaven Commission on Disabilities last week to urge officials to look into the town's approach on addiction treatment assistance, and to offer their advisement in the process. "I believe that the town needs to do more for persons with substance use disorders as far as disabilities go, and handicaps," the former officer, Jonathan Alves said after introducing himself to the commission last Thursday as the victor in the lawsuit. "I think there’s a lot of training that’s missing...."
Standard-Times - Feb. 17, 2023
California: New Bill Introduced To Ban All Tobacco Products To Those Born After 2007
A bill to ban all tobacco sales to those born after 2007, resulting in the eventual total phase out of tobacco sales in the state in the coming decade, was introduced in the Assembly on Tuesday. Assembly Bill 935, authored by Assemblyman Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael), would specifically implement a phased tobacco ban by prohibiting a tobacco retailer from selling tobacco products to any person born on or after January 1, 2007. While sales would be legal for anyone born before the cutoff date, the 21-years-old restriction would eventually be replaced by this law. For example, in 2029, only those 22 and older would be able to purchase tobacco, and in 2040, only those 33 years and older. The bill would also provide penalties for violations, including escalating civil fines and the suspension or revocation of the sellers license to sell tobacco products.
California Globe - Feb. 15, 2023
New York: More cannabis means more kids using cannabis
The excitement surrounding New York’s new cannabis industry is at a fever pitch. The first licensed dispensaries are finally opening. For the first time ever, adults aged 21 and older can legally purchase cannabis in New York for recreational use. And the first retail licenses are going to New Yorkers who paid dearly in criminal convictions for past marijuana offenses, bringing a measure of justice and economic opportunity to Black and Brown communities. But amid these triumphs, an alarming trend is playing out before our eyes. Educators report that cannabis use is on a sharp rise among New York City middle and high school students who are at an age when their still-developing brains are susceptible to long-term harm.
New York Daily News - Feb. 14, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Podcasts Comments
Studies/Research in the News
Rethink e-cigarettes’ role in treating cigarette smokers’ nicotine addiction
Should electronic cigarettes, or vapes, be accepted more widely as an effective and respected tool for treating adult smokers’ nicotine addiction? Kenneth Warner, dean emeritus and the Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, says there is enough evidence to support e-cigarettes’ use as a first-line aid for smoking cessation in adults.
University of Michigan - Feb. 20, 2023
AI in opioid addiction: Artificial intelligence can play a big role in treatment, preventing deaths
In light of the growing national drug overdose problem, researchers are testing artificial intelligence to quantify the dangers associated with prescription opioids. Machine learning, according to Dr. Dean Eurich of the University of Alberta, could be more effective at identifying those who are most vulnerable. Knowing there are other resources they can utilise to ensure the patient is receiving the proper medication at the right time may give clinicians more peace of mind thanks to the AI-assisted system.
MINT - Feb. 19, 2023
Mayo 'mini brains' offer new ways to understand addiction
To really understand opioid addiction, researcher Ming-Fen Ho is getting down to the cellular level. “If we have a better understanding of biology, then we can develop better drugs to treat the disease,” she said. That's where the tiny bits of brain tissue — nicknamed mini brains — come in. Ho, who has a PhD and is a stem cell biologist, is studying these specks of tissue, some no larger than a pinhead, because they could answer some vexing questions about addiction — like why some people suffer from it and others don't or why some respond to drugs meant to treat addiction and others don't.
Minnesota Public Radio - Feb. 14, 2023
Cocaine Addiction Makes The Human Brain 'Age' Faster, Scientists Warn
Our brains experience a litany of changes as we age, right down to the way its DNA is translated. Now a new study has found that in people with cocaine use disorder those changes can accumulate at an accelerated rate.
Science Alert - Feb. 14, 2023
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Opinion
I'm the Child of Someone Who Was Addicted to Drugs. I'm Not Alone.
Being a child of an addict is a punch to the stomach, a void that only grows, the grief blooming as the years pass. The abuse of prescriptions, the pawning of home items, the involvement of the police, and the lack of parenting may answer the question "How did it get this bad?" but provide no comfort for a person whose parent has vanished. Time pushes forward, but this stays true: I am a child of an addict. A 2017 report estimated that about one in eight children under 17 in the US — about 8.7 million children — lived in a household with at least one parent with a substance-use disorder.
Insider - Feb. 18, 2023
For Many People of Color in a Post-George Floyd World, Many 'Safe Spaces' No Longer Were
Audibly, the sober space for alcoholics and addicts is rich with affinity. There one can (finally) hear other sufferers sharing their troubles with addiction and their quest for a solution. But visually, the sober space is alarmingly white. A fact that often leads members of the BIPOC community to feel unseen. Unlike other minority groups who have language, religion, and heritage as binding factors, African descendants of displaced Africans are bound only by the very things that separate us from the dominant culture, the color of our skin and the texture of our hair. When I don’t see other Black or brown people in the room, I don’t feel as safe speaking honestly about matters of race.
Good Housekeeping - Feb. 17, 2023
How to Be Better Recovery Allies
Supporting our loved ones in recovery can be challenging, but it is essential to their healing processes. Here are some actionable ways we can all be better recovery allies.
Spirituality + Health - Feb. 17, 2023
We've Turned the Guns on Ourselves in the War on Drugs
In 2021, roughly 107,000 people died from drug overdose, two-thirds of which were related to fentanyl. Up to 50 times stronger than heroin, fentanyl can be fatal in very small amounts. When faced with similar crises, American policymakers have prioritized increasing punishments to deter use and shrink supply. This "War on Drugs" has simply made the problem worse, destroying communities, while black market drugs become even more potent and continue to take lives.
Newsweek - Feb. 15, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Podcasts Comments
Podcasts: The Weekly Roundup
Recovery in the Middle Ages – Scott Mannheimer, “Hope Dealer” for Kensington, talks about helping people struggling with addiction
If you find yourself using drugs in a place like the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, a guy like Scott Mannheimer is someone you want in your corner. Kensington is a notorious skid row, where it is common to find addicts shooting up in broad daylight, hunched over in a stupor or passed out on the streets. Needles, syringes and garbage are littered across the sidewalks. Into this scene of urban desperation walks Scott, a former addict who had a spiritual awakening in front of a cheesesteak restaurant and decided to dedicate his life to helping addicts get clean. This week he sits down with Mike and Nat and shares his story. Also, the Week in Weird returns with a fresh bigfoot sighting (!) and Recovery in the News asks, are you ready to be assimilated by the Borg collective?
Flourishing After Addiction with Carl Erik Fisher, M.D. – Understanding addiction through contemplative science, with Dr. Jud Brewer
Judson Brewer ("Dr. Jud") is a renowned addiction psychiatrist and neuroscientist who has spent over two decades studying the mechanisms of addiction and the effects of mindfulness on behavior change. On this episode of Flourishing After Addiction, it was great to talk with him about some extraordinary connections between the science of addiction and contemplative practice.
Dopey – Johann Hari on why you can’t pay attention and how to reclaim your focus
Back for his second appearance on the show is journalist & multiple New York Times bestselling author Johann Hari, who, when confronted with his own deteriorating attention span, dove deep into the individual and systemic solutions to this dispiriting collective trend. Johann has written for the LA Times, Le Monde, and many other outlets, has two of the most-watched TED Talks, and has been profiled in essentially every prominent media outlet. His books include Chasing The Scream and Lost Connections, which explores the roots of addiction, and was the subject of our first exchange back on episode #416. But today, he’s here to share big lessons from his latest book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention, which is a provoking journey into the forces robbing us of our attention and a look at how we might begin to reclaim our minds, and our lives.
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