The Wednesday Weekly - Addiction + Recovery News, February 16, 2022
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
Highlights
(Inter)National
Biden harm reduction grant program criticized for providing ‘crack pipes’ | Sacklers consider adding $1 billion more to opioid settlement
Fentanyl
Fentanyl has variants too | Teen fentanyl deaths soaring, black teens hit hardest
State and Local
Ohio to regulate kratom | Will California get safe injection sites?
Studies/Research in the News
Utah’s lower blood alcohol limits have saved lives | More access to overdose reversing naloxone is needed | Moderate alcohol consumption bad for you
Opinion
Annie Grace “Why I invented the Alcohol Experiment” | Addiction researcher takes issue with ‘dry’ months
Books and Movies
TV: Euphoria
Podcasts
Mishka Shubaly on Recovery in the Middle Ages | Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx on Dopey | Rehab Confidential speaks to Milwaukee Firefighter about his work with the Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative
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(Inter)National
White House denies grant funds would let orgs buy pipes for drug addicts
The Biden administration denied a report Wednesday that it was mandating nonprofits and local governments use grant money on pipes for crack cocaine and crystal meth smokers. The 75-page announcement of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) nearly $30 million Harm Reduction Program Grant includes a list of “required harm reduction activities” the money must be used for, including the purchase of “equipment and supplies to enhance harm reduction efforts, such as … Safe smoking kits/supplies.”
New York Post - Feb. 12, 2022
Fact check: False claim that Biden administration is distributing $30M of 'crack pipes'
A federal grant program aimed at reducing the health risks associated with drug use has become the subject of misinformation online, with social media users and some Republican politicians accusing the White House of distributing free crack pipes to Americans.
USA Today - Feb. 11, 2022
Germany’s drugs czar wants higher age limits for alcohol
The German government’s drugs czar has proposed raising the legal age when people can buy beer and wine from 16 to 18, and cracking down on alcohol and tobacco advertising.
Seattle Times - Feb. 11, 2022
Press Release: Medical Director Convicted in $110 Million Addiction Treatment Fraud Scheme
A federal jury convicted a Florida doctor yesterday in the Southern District of Florida for a health care fraud scheme that billed private health insurance companies approximately $110 million for addiction treatment services that were not medically necessary. This is the second trial conviction to arise out of the Justice Department’s Sober Homes Initiative.
U.S. Department of Justice - Feb. 11, 2022
A Nurse. A Pandemic. An Addiction
During the pandemic, the public romanticized the role of nurses, casting them as superheroes -- women and men who sacrificed everything for their patients. But for many, the grief, stress, and exhaustion took a toll. In one survey, nearly half of critical care nurses said they felt depressed, and a third said they were drinking more. Six percent said they felt suicidal. And that's where the story of Tiffany Swedeen comes in.
Med Page Today - Feb. 11, 2022
Purdue’s Sacklers Consider Adding Another $1 Billion to Opioid Settlement
Members of the billionaire Sackler family that own Purdue Pharma LP are weighing whether to add $1 billion to the OxyContin-maker’s faltering opioid settlement bid in an effort to win over holdouts, according to people familiar with the talks.
Bloomberg - Feb. 10, 2022
CDC proposes opioid prescribing guidelines that give doctors more flexibility
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday released draft updated guidelines for prescribing opioids that would give doctors more flexibility as the medical community seeks to find a balance between treating pain and fighting addiction.
The Hill - Feb. 10, 2022
'Friday' star Anthony 'AJ' Johnson died from alcohol abuse
Anthony “AJ” Johnson’s cause of death has been revealed. The “Friday” star died in September 2021 at age 55 from “chronic ethanol use,” which was a result of years of heavy drinking, according to an autopsy report obtained by TMZ.
Page Six - Feb. 9, 2022
Zendaya responds to D.A.R.E.’s criticism of recent ‘Euphoria’ episode
Zendaya is defending “Euphoria” against criticism of the show’s portrayal of drug addiction among high school students.
ABC News - Feb. 9, 2022
Former Missouri student unable to speak, walk after alcohol poisoning
The former University of Missouri student is unable to walk, speak or respond to commands, said David Bianchi, an attorney representing Santulli's family in a lawsuit against the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, also known as Fiji.
Columbia Daily Tribune - Feb. 8, 2022
The Wine Business Sees a Problem: Millennials Aren’t Drinking Enough
As baby boomers retire and buy less wine, producers need new ways to tempt a White Claw generation back from other alcoholic drinks, according to a new report.
NY Times - Feb. 7, 2022
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Fentanyl
Ohio doctor's trial set to open in alleged high-dose fentanyl deaths of ICU patients
The case became a stunning example of alleged medical malpractice with prosecutors in Franklin County initially charging Husel in the deaths of 25 patients. They said he ordered excessive doses of opioids to dozens of near-death patients between 2015 and 2018, when he was employed with the Mount Carmel Health System, one of the largest in central Ohio.
NBC News - Feb. 12, 2022
Complicating the Opioid Epidemic: The Many Faces of Fentanyl
Covid has produced variants like Omicron, adept at dodging the body’s defenses. Fentanyl has variants, too—chemical structures that have a bigger effect on the body, more deadly and addictive. Enterprising chemists around the world are busy experimenting in makeshift laboratories, generating new and illegal forms of the painkiller—estimated to be 100 times more powerful in its basic form than morphine—in a bid to evade detection, sidestep the law and make more money.
News Wise - Feb. 11, 2022
Teenage Fentanyl Deaths Are Soaring, and Black Teens Are Hit Hardest
Overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl tripled among teenagers and went up five times among Black teens in the past two years, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bloomberg - Feb. 11, 2022
Medical examiner who reviewed autopsy testifies Tyler Skaggs died of OD caused by fentanyl as defense questions level at time of death
A key question in determining whether former Los Angeles Angels communications director Eric Kay is responsible for the drug-related death of Tyler Skaggs is determining exactly what killed him. The case against Kay is built on the government's contention that he gave Skaggs pills laced with fentanyl, and that the fentanyl directly caused Skaggs' death.
ESPN - Feb. 11, 2022
Feds Crack Down on Nurses Diverting Fentanyl Meant for Patients
A Florida nurse was sentenced to 6 months in federal prison, followed by 6 months of home detention, for tampering with a consumer product, the medication fentanyl.
Medscape - Feb. 10, 2022
Fentanyl claims life of 13-year-old who police say snuck 40 bags into his school, overdosed
"Teens who may not be that savvy about substance use or think that their friends took the pill and were fine. So, they get a pill from the same supplier. But, there is no quality control," said Patricia Aussem of the Partnership to End Addiction. Within the last month, four teens in Connecticut overdosed at school. One of them was a 13-year-old boy who died after police say he snuck fentanyl into the building.
Yahoo! - Feb. 9, 2022
Teen suffers apparent overdose from fentanyl-laced marijuana at Connecticut high school, police say
According to the Bloomfield Police Department, the overdose is believed to have been caused by fentanyl-laced marijuana. Fentanyl is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine and the primary driver of drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It is unknown if the teenager was aware the marijuana was laced. Changing America has contacted the Bloomfield Police Department for comment.
The Hill - Feb. 8, 2022
US opioid crisis: New government report finds Mexico is dominant source of fentanyl trafficked into US
A new government report out Tuesday details how opioid trafficking in the United States has changed in recent years, with Mexico now a "dominant source" of the country's fentanyl supply and synthetic opioids rapidly saturating drug markets.
CNN - Feb. 8, 2022
DC opioid overdoses: Fentanyl is killing seniors, outpacing gun violence
“We’ve had a significant increase in age,” said Edwin Chapman, 75, who specializes in treating addiction in the nation’s capital. The graying of overdose victims is happening across the nation, not just in D.C. In 1999, 518 Americans 55 and older died in opioid-related overdoses. That number rocketed to 10,292 deaths in 2019, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Most of the older folks dying in this epidemic are Black — the community that also struggles hardest to access treatment.
The Washington Post - Feb. 7, 2022
State / Local
Ohio looks to regulate kratom for pain and addiction treatment
The Ohio House passed a bill allowing for regulation of kratom on Wednesday, a controversial move given that some medical experts have called it addictive and harmful.
Columbus Dispatch - Feb. 9, 2022
California could get safe injection sites — but will it?
[The U.S. DOJ’s] newfound leniency could reshape the debate [over harm reduction and safe injection sites] in California. Lawmakers have repeatedly contended with federal resistance as they have considered bills allowing cities to set up places for people to use opioids and other narcotics under medical supervision.
POLITICO - Feb. 9, 2022
Connecticut teen suffers apparent overdose on fentanyl-laced pot at high school
A teen at a Connecticut high school had suffered an apparent drug overdose from fentanyl-laced marijuana, police said.
NY Post - Feb. 8, 2022
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Studies/Research in the News
Study finds lowering blood-alcohol limit saved lives in Utah
A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found the number of fatal crashes in Utah dropped by almost 20 percent between 2018 and 2019 after the state lowered its legal blood-alcohol limit from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent.
The Hill - Feb. 11, 2022
Increase in naloxone accessibility needed in almost every US state to combat opioid overdoses, study says
A new study on the distribution and accessibility of naloxone in the United States was published in The Lancet Public Health journal on Thursday. “People who use drugs and people living in the community must be considered first responders and need easy access to naloxone so they can act quickly to save a life,” the study’s senior author said.
The Hill - Feb. 11, 2022
Addiction can develop when reward-seeking changes a teen’s brain
People who develop an addiction may spend a lifetime fighting it. The good news: Science shows you have control over your chances of becoming addicted.
Science News for Students - Feb. 10, 2022
Scientists investigated if there really are benefits from moderate drinking – and they have bad news
Moderate drinking has been promoted as beneficial for heart health. But a new study claims that even moderate drinking can be harmful to our health. Drinking less than the recommended alcohol limit still presents risks, the study found.
Health24 - Feb. 8, 2022
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Opinion
Annie Grace: 'I Drank Two Bottles of Wine a Night. Then I Launched The Alcohol Experiment'
So I decided to create The Alcohol Experiment in 2017, and the question that I posit is, essentially, what if I could be a bit better at drinking a little bit less? There's no requirement to get sober. It's free and there's no following a plan and sailing off into sobriety. I drink as much as I want, whenever I want. I just haven't wanted to drink for more than seven years.
Newsweek - Feb. 15, 2022
I'm an addiction researcher and therapist. Here's why promoting sober 'dry months' bothers me
I’m troubled because while dry drinking campaigns benefit many, they do not help the individuals that I have worked with over the years. These attitudes and campaigns do not contribute to a more nuanced discussion about substance use. Instead, they perpetuate the idea that quitting drinking for a month is a choice, and an easy and positive one at that.
The Conversation - Feb. 13, 2022
Arresting Michael K Williams’ alleged drug dealers won’t solve the US addiction crisis
As a country we refuse to pursue policy reforms that might have saved the beloved actor and the many thousands of others who are dying of overdoses.
The Guardian - Feb. 11, 2022
Congress Must Act to Permanently Control Fentanyl-Related Substances
At the onset of the crisis, when deadly synthetic opioids first arrived from clandestine laboratories in Mexico and China, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services, used its emergency scheduling to ban each new substance as it appeared. DEA's emergency scheduling orders expire after two years, and the original deadline passed in February 2020.
Newsweek - Feb. 11, 2022
America's opioid crisis is as real as ever — we need policy on safe, effective treatments
To be sure, the opioid crisis is complex and multifaceted. There are clear legislation changes that politicians can make to help improve — and even save — the lives of millions of people. It’s time to break down the barriers to make sure that fewer Americans die from opioid overdoses.
The Hill - Feb. 10, 2022
The racist ‘crack pipe’ panic and the White House’s shameful capitulation
Republicans manufactured a racist “crack pipe” scandal, so the Biden admin threw Black people who use drugs under the bus.
The Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb. 10, 2022
Churchill: A pandemic story of addiction and pain
Early in 2020, the pandemic closed his barbershop, Troy Grooming Co., and overturned Magur's life. His kids were no longer in school. Financial pressures were mounting. To stop himself from worrying, to numb the pain and the stress and the depression, Magur poured himself a stiff drink.
Times Union - Feb. 10, 2022
San Francisco addict's mother rips politicians helping keep people 'chained to addiction'
A San Francisco mother and head of an anti-addiction group joined "Tucker Carlson Tonight" to criticize the city's politicians, who she said are allowing rampant and dangerous drug use. Jacqui Berlinn of Mothers Against Drug Deaths told host Tucker Carlson that it is "ridiculous" to believe the way to support people like her son is to "keep them chained to addiction." "[Democratic Mayor London] Breed's policies and the policies in San Francisco give him everything that he needs to stay addicted. They give him the plastic needles and give him the foil," she said.
Fox News - Feb. 10, 2022
Empowering local health care providers to battle the opioid crisis
We can help mitigate this crisis by better empowering these overwhelmed, overworked, understaffed local health care providers. By providing them with additional knowledge about addiction and treatment—and a network of experts and peers dealing with similar issues—we can help them treat patients even more effectively.
Austin American-Statesman - Feb. 9, 2022
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Books and Movies
The Addictive Chills and Thrills of “Euphoria”
“Euphoria” is not a show to watch for deep dives into its protagonists’ psychologies—counterintuitive for a show where so much circles around addiction and mental health.
The New Yorker - Feb. 8, 2022
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Podcasts: The Weekly Roundup
Recovery in the Middle Ages – Mishka Shubaly - The Definitive Interview!
Mishka Shubaly wears many hats; writer, musician, ultrarunner, podcaster. His Kindle Singles for Amazon have all been bestsellers. He writes true stories about drink, drugs, disasters, desire, deception and their aftermath. His work has been praised for its grit, humor, fearlessness and heart. Mike and Nat engage in a free-ranging conversation with Mishka on topics ranging from harm reduction and the use of cannabis in recovery, to the nature of addiction, running, and the most effective ways to quit drinking and ensure a lasting recovery. It’s a great conversation with a fascinating guest who holds a controversial opinion or two.
Rehab Confidential – Jeff Gauthier of the Milwaukee Fire Department and MORI, the Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative
Joe and Amy chat with Lt. Jeff Gauthier of the Milwaukee Fire Department, sober for 28 years. He talks to us about the mental health crisis and substance abuse among firefighters as well as his work in the Peer Support Team, breaking the stigma and shame and getting them the help they need. We also discuss his work with MORI, the Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative and the frustrating cycle he sees but also the unique position he’s in as a person in recovery to elicit empathy in his fellow firefighters and connect with the people he goes to revive.
Dopey – Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx on ‘The Heroin Diaries,” “The First 21,” Relapse, Recovery
This week on Dopey! Dopey dream guest, Nikki Sixx calls in to talk about his incredible origin before the debauchery of sex, drugs and rock and roll with Mötley Crüe. He shares a bit about his upbringing, his brief time dealing chocolate mescaline and a ton of rock and roll stories. PLUS Howie, Dopey emails and a whole lot more on a legendary new episode of Dopey!
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