The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - January 25, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Russia conscripts people struggling with addiction | ADA used to settle case involving discrimination for use of buprenorphine for addiction treatment
Fentanyl
Austin TX gets federal funds to fight fentanyl ODs | Opinion: Need to address fentanyl in Seattle first to help city’s unhoused
State and Local
WA lawmakers begin to remake state’s drug laws | VA legislators block psilocybin for medical use | MN Medical Assn’ supports decriminalizing illicit drugs
Studies/Research in the News
Easing Rx restrictions for addiction meds did not increase ODs | Univ. of Wisc. study finds psilocybin effective to treat opioid addiction
Opinion
Need to treat overdose response as public health, not criminal, issue | Lessons learned from a DUI | NY Times piece on “Dry January”
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National (and beyond)
David Crosby Helped Drew Barrymore with Childhood Drug Abuse
David Crosby and Drew Barrymore's friendship is coming into the spotlight after his death at age 81 on Thursday. The musician, who was a founding member of the bands The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, often spoke candidly about overcoming addiction. During an interview on The Howard Stern Show in June 2021, he opened up about how he and his wife Jan Dance took in a then 14-year-old Barrymore for two months after meeting her at a treatment center. "We knew her because we were in recovery at that time. We were going to meetings probably three times a week and totally sober," Crosby explained to Stern.
People - Jan. 21, 2022
Russia sends drug addicts to war to up mobilization numbers
Russia is sending drug addicts to war in an effort to meet its mobilization quota, according to a report by the Ukrainian Center of National Resistance. “The information about the massive mobilization of drug addicts was confirmed by one of the Russian soldiers who surrendered to the Resistance Movement,” the Center reported. “According to him, he was not cured of addiction and continued to use drugs while fighting in Zaporizhzhia. The man took the drugs with him as medicine.” A similar report was made by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Jerusalem Post - Jan. 20, 2023
US settlement signals protections for addiction medicine
A former Tennessee correctional officer will receive $160,000 in back pay and damages after he was forced to resign for taking Suboxone to treat his opioid use disorder, if a judge approves a landmark consent decree filed in federal court in Nashville on Wednesday. It is the first time the U.S. Department of Justice has used the Americans with Disabilities Act to settle a claim that an employee was discriminated against for taking a prescribed medication to treat drug addiction, according to the Department.
AP - Jan. 19, 2023
Oxycontin Lawsuit Guide (2023)
By 2017, there were more than 2,000 pending lawsuits against Purdue and related companies. So, a judicial panel consolidated the actions in the Northern District of Ohio under Judge Dan Polster. The plaintiffs included 2,500 cities, counties, tribal authorities and individuals. Similar to a class action lawsuit, these plaintiffs created a negotiation class to create a global settlement. States were not technically plaintiffs, but many state attorney generals weighed in during the proceedings.
Forbes - Jan. 18, 2023
Health experts explain benefits of Dry January
Reaping health benefits is the leading reason for abstaining from alcohol. And several studies show, the Washington Post recently reported, that the benefits of Dry January can be long-lasting. People often continue past January or drink less in the long run and also adopt changes that promote better overall health.
Detroit Free Press - Jan. 18, 2023
Macklemore gets candid about his battle with addiction and quest to make music that means something
The “Thrift Shop” star, Macklemore is far from a closed book. In this episode of The Great Creators with Guy Raz, he is very open about his struggle with addiction, his will to be an advocate through his music, and much more.
Audacy - Jan. 17, 2023
The addiction crisis is causing a spike in endocarditis cases. Hospitals are struggling to respond
Increased injection drug use has led to a spike in cases of the life-threatening heart condition endocarditis, with cases rapidly accelerating since the onset of Covid-19.The increased case count is one of the lesser-known side effects of the deadly addiction epidemic. But patients with endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart lining caused by infection, require complex, thoughtful care — care that the U.S. health system is ill-equipped to provide.
STAT - Jan. 17, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Comments
Fentanyl
'Super thankful'; Family visits with firefighters who saved infant from fentanyl death
It started as a fun day at a San Francisco park for little Senna Matkovic with his nanny and twin brother, Antun. But moments later, the 10-month-old was on death's door. The little boy had somehow been exposed to fentanyl at San Francisco's Moscone Park. Thankfully the fast actions by the nanny and quick-arriving paramedics pulled Senna out of danger. This week, his parents -- Ivan and Kerina Matkovic -- and little Senna visited the paramedics at a San Francisco firehouse to thank them.
CBS - Jan. 23, 2023
The scourge of fentanyl in Seattle
Should we stop talking about the homeless crisis and start calling it the fentanyl crisis? Obviously, there is a huge housing problem in Seattle, as well as in other prosperous West Coast cities, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. If we really care about the fate of these folks, it seems that far more needs to be done to confront the biggest killer on our streets: fentanyl.
Seattle Times - Jan. 20, 2023
Fentanyl victim's mother urges others to drop addict stigma: 'This is not the old war on drugs'
Voice Vice President Amy Neville tells Todd Piro and Carley Shimkus about her son Alexander who died from fentanyl poisoning and steps she believe could be taken to help combat the crisis.
Fox - Jan. 18, 2023
Austin Public Health gets $2 million in federal money to fight fentanyl overdoses
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said Tuesday he has helped secure $2 million in federal funding for Austin Public Health to fight opioid overdoses, with a focus on preventing deaths from fentanyl. It's the first long-term federal funding for opioid abuse locally, Doggett said.
Austin American-Statesman - Jan. 17, 2023
State / Local
Washington: Washington State Lawmakers Start Remake of Drug Possession Laws
Two proposals emerged this week to update how Washington law deals with possession of illicit drugs, a quandary the state has faced since the Washington Supreme Court struck down the state's drug possession statute as unconstitutional in early 2021. That year, in State v. Blake, the justices threw out the state's drug possession statute because it criminalized possession even when a person did not knowingly have drugs. That left the Legislature to decide whether having illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin should remain a crime. Lawmakers arrived at a temporary fix, rewriting the statute to specify that "knowingly" possessing controlled substances was illegal and treating drug possession as a misdemeanor rather than a felony. But before being charged, a person must be referred to treatment twice. That arrangement expires this summer.
The Chronicle - Jan. 21, 2023
Virginia GOP Lawmakers Block Bill Legalizing ‘Magic Mushrooms’ For Medical Use—Here’s Why Some States And Cities Support Them
Virginia state legislators chose not to advance a bill Thursday that would have allowed doctors to prescribe psilocybin, a psychedelic drug produced by mushrooms of the same name, as more states and cities argue the drug—which is illegal at the federal level—could be used to combat mental health conditions like anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Forbes - Jan. 19, 2023
Oregon: State audit calls on health authority to fix problems with Measure 110 addiction program
Oregon’s first-in-the-nation initiative to address the state’s drug addiction crisis with treatment instead of jail had a rocky start, but it’s too soon to gauge whether the program will be successful, state auditors found. The Secretary of State audit, released Thursday, said more time is needed to determine whether Measure 110, which voters approved in 2020, is stemming the state’s addiction crisis. Hundreds of thousands of Oregonians struggle with addiction, and they have difficulty getting help. The law decriminalized low-level drug possession and directed people toward treatment programs funded with more than $100 million annually in cannabis tax revenues. The audit said that the Oregon Health Authority needs to remove obstacles that have delayed efforts to set up addiction treatment and support programs in Oregon. The agency is overseeing the measure’s rollout.
Oregon Capital Chronicle - Jan. 19, 2023
New York: Heroin addict turned counselor accused of sexually abusing 4 patients at CNY rehab center
A heroin addict turned counselor who publicly shared his story of recovery to inspire others struggling with addiction has been accused of sexually abusing four patients at a Syracuse area drug treatment clinic. The four women say in lawsuits Robert Rosolanko engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with them in 2018 while he was director of Conifer Park, an outpatient rehab program in Liverpool.
Syracuse.com - Jan. 19, 2023
Oregon: Measure 110's drug treatment rollout suffered from ambiguity, audit finds
A measure approved by Oregon voters in 2020 with the mission of completely overhauling how the state approaches drug crimes and addiction treatment has not yet been given the chance to produce tangible results, according to the results of an audit released Thursday by the Oregon Secretary of State's office. There were two main aspects of Measure 110 when it was adopted just over two years ago: the decriminalization of user amounts of narcotics and a major allocation of funding toward addiction treatment programs from Oregon's legal cannabis taxes. The part of Measure 110 that was supposed to fund addiction treatment programs so that they'd be readily available, took much longer to tackle. It wasn't until September of 2022 that the Oregon Health Authority announced funds had gone out to each county in the state.
KGW8 - Jan. 19, 2023
Minnesota Medical Association votes to support decriminalization of illicit drugs
In a move leaders say is focused on a commitment to the health and well-being of their patients, the group representing over 10,000 Minnesota doctors and doctors in training is advocating to decriminalize simple possession of illicit drugs. Members of the Minnesota Medical Association’s board of trustees voted in December to approve the policy proposal.
St. Cloud Times - Jan. 18, 2023
Studies/Research in the News
UW researchers hopeful new study shows psilocybin as treatment for opioid addiction
Researchers from the UW–Madison Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances are hopeful psilocybin can reduce dependency on addictive drugs like opioids and methamphetamine. The center director shares information on two active studies that are in preliminary stages.
Wisconsin Public Radio - Jan. 20, 2022
Easing prescription rules for opioid treatment meds did not increase overdose deaths, study finds
A new study shows that reducing restrictions on buprenorphine, a medication that can treat opioid use disorder, did not lead to an increase in overdose deaths involving the treatment. The findings may help allay concerns that making buprenorphine more widely available could lead to more overdose deaths.
CBS - Jan. 20, 2023
Opinion
Opioid addiction is a disease. We cut red tape so doctors can finally treat it effectively.
More than 107,000 Americans died from drug poisoning last year, and more than a million Americans have perished since the opioid epidemic began two decades ago. These are sons and daughters, teachers and neighbors, co-workers and friends who have been missing at the dinner table or at family gatherings. Tragically, timely treatment was not available to most of them because fewer than 1 out of 10 people who needed treatment in the United States were able to access it. Last month, President Joe Biden expanded access to treatment for opioid use disorder to millions of Americans when he signed the bipartisan omnibus government funding bill into law. Addiction isn’t a red state problem or a blue state problem – it’s America’s problem, and we all have to work together to solve it.
USA Today - Jan. 23, 2023
We’re saving lives but we need help to continue our work
In June, the Newark Community Street Team launched the Overdose Response Program, a community-led initiative that takes a public health approach to opioid use. The Overdose Response Program is reimagining the way we respond to overdose emergency calls by providing an alternative that relies first on the community, not the police. Ultimately, people are the vanguards and saviors of their own community. We need to decriminalize drug use, and we must make healthcare and supportive services more accessible.
NJ.com - Jan. 22, 2023
What Drunken Driving Taught Me
Like a resentful adolescent, I stuck with my program and, despite myself, learned a thing or two. Our instructor told us that one in three drunken drivers forgets what he’s learned in training and ends up in bigger trouble. Learning that it can take hours for each shot of alcohol to leave the bloodstream — drinking water or coffee or eating something doesn’t do much — had its intended clarifying effect on my nights out. Regret and humiliation, not indignation, are the response I should have had that New Year’s night. Life is full of dangers and many are worth the risk. Driving drunk isn’t one of them.
New York Times - Jan. 21, 2023
Drinking Again? Maybe the Problem is Dry January.
Quitting alcohol cold turkey can take a toll on your physical and mental health, especially if your daily habits include high consumption. Dry January is meant for social drinkers, not for people seeking recovery, experts say. Lisa Kugler, a psychologist and vice president of Shatterproof, a recovery nonprofit that works to end the stigma of addiction treatment, said Dry January can be a great opportunity for people who are reassessing their relationship with alcohol. But she warned that Dry January can also “downplay” the relationship that someone with a substance abuse disorder may have with alcohol. “If they get 30 days that are alcohol free, that might make them think, ‘I don’t have a problem with alcohol’ when actually they may,” she said.
New York Times - Jan. 19, 2023
‘There’s No Room in the System’: A plan to commit the homeless has little meaning in the ER.
When, in late November, Mayor Adams announced an initiative that would expand the powers of the NYPD and EMS to remove people who appeared to be mentally ill and homeless from the streets, involuntarily, to hospitals, he seemed to overlook a basic point. People who are unhoused — whether mentally ill or medically ill or intoxicated or simply in need of a safe place to sleep — already use the city’s hospitals all the time.
New York Magazine - Jan. 18, 2023
I talk to my elementary aged kids about alcohol. Experts say you should, too
Experts say talking to younger kids about safe alcohol consumption can be beneficial later in life. Mainstream parenting wisdom would have me wait until they were high school age to have the talk about alcohol. After all, that is when alcohol use begins for most: 60 percent of Americans try alcohol by age 18, according to the National Institutes of Health. That suggests that the "talk" should happen then. But psychologists actually say that there is no harm in talking to younger children about alcohol. Indeed, it may even benefit them more later.
Salon - Jan. 16, 2023
San Francisco addicts (sic) are kept ‘in a state of bondage’ by syringe exchange programs, former drug user says
Providing drug users with syringes and pipes for public health purposes keeps addicts "in a state of bondage," a dealer-turned-activist told Fox News.The city has established more than 20 harm reduction centers — sites that provide a variety of services including overdose prevention education, distribution of the overdose reversal drug naloxone and safe-use drug supplies such as syringes, tinfoil, and pipes. The goal is to reduce overdoses and the spread of disease, like hepatitis.
Fox - Jan. 15, 2023