The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - June 29, 2022
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
As weed becomes more potent, teens becoming sick | Justice Dept. turning to ADA to protect people with SUDs | FDA to regulate nicotine
Fentanyl
Faith leaders support overdose prevention centers | Pennsylvania considers legalizing fentanyl test strips
State and Local
Shatterproof’s ATLAS treatment locator launches in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma
Studies/Research in the News
VA studying hallucinogenic drugs to treat PTSD, addiction | New CDC report sheds light on link between mental health and substance use disorders
Opinion
Reader says Oregon’s Measure 110 is failing | Criticism for NYC’s harm reduction response to overdose crisis | Maia Szalavitz defends big city harm reduction policies | What is “California Sober” and does it work?
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National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Comments
National
House Passes Rep. Kim's Addiction Treatment Legislation
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, a bipartisan package of legislation to strengthen and expand more than 30 critical programs that collectively support mental health care and substance use disorder prevention, care, treatment, and recovery support services in New Jersey and communities across the nation. The package includes the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, cosponsored by Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03), which would eliminate the burdensome X-waiver and allow more healthcare providers to prescribe buprenorphine for medication-assisted treatment of substance use disorder.
TapInto - June 26, 2022
‘It’s not good enough to just give us a nightclub and say it’s inclusive’: The rise of LGBTQ+ sober spaces
The LGBTQ+ community historically paved the way for their own safe spaces where they were free to unapologetically express themselves without judgement or criticism through a once underground yet thriving nightlife scene, with an easy availability of alcohol alongside other substances. However, in more recent years, more queer people are developing new safe spaces within the community with sobriety at the heart.
Metro UK - June 26, 2022
Priest says São Paulo’s ‘forced hospitalization’ of addicts is ‘unethical’
State prosecutors are investigating the involuntary hospitalization of crack addicts by São Paulo’s municipal government. The policy, implemented in April, has been criticized by members of the clergy who work with the homeless in Brazil’s largest city.
Crux - June 26, 2022
Psychosis, Addiction, Chronic Vomiting: As Weed Becomes More Potent, Teens Are Getting Sick
Although recreational cannabis is illegal in the United States for those under 21, it has become more accessible as many states have legalized it. But experts say today’s high-THC cannabis products — vastly different than the joints smoked decades ago — are poisoning some heavy users, including teenagers. In 1995, the average concentration of THC in cannabis samples seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration was about 4 percent. By 2017, it was 17 percent. And now cannabis manufacturers are extracting THC to make oils; edibles; wax; sugar-size crystals; and glass-like products called shatter that advertise high THC levels in some cases exceeding 95 percent.
New York Times - June 23, 2022
Eminem Says Rapping About Mental Health, Addiction Is ‘Therapeutic’
Eminem has never been shy about laying bare his personal struggles in his songs. But in a call to Sway Calloway’s Sway in the Morning show this week on Em’s SiriusXM Shade 45 channel, the MC revealed that writing rhymes that take on his mental health and addiction struggles has been “therapeutic.”
Billboard - June 23, 2022
To protect people with addiction from discrimination, the Justice Dept. turns to a long-overlooked tool: the ADA
Increasingly, Justice Department attorneys are leveraging the law [the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)] to try to overcome some of the rampant discrimination that people with substance use disorders face.
STAT - June 22, 2022
The FDA wants to regulate nicotine for the first time
The Food and Drug Administration has called cigarettes "the only legal consumer product that, when used as intended, will kill half of all long-term users." But the agency has never regulated nicotine, cigarettes' notoriously addictive ingredient — and for years, it has been wanting to change that. Now, it seems, the time has come.
NPR - June 22, 2022
White House Backs Extension of Telehealth Addiction Treatment
The Biden administration is making a play to set in stone the pandemic era-expansion of telehealth access for people struggling with addiction, offering up a series of suggestions for federal agencies and lawmakers in a new report. In a report released Wednesday, the White House office laid out steps for broadening telehealth access for individuals struggling with addiction. The plan calls for the federal government to weigh legislation or other steps to knock down barriers between state licensing systems for medical professionals that ONDCP says stand in the way of enacting nationwide telehealth efforts.
Bloomberg - June 22, 2022
The US Drug Laws – What Changed, Where it Changed, and What it Means for the Citizens
[In 2020] Eight states, including New Jersey, Oregon and Washington D.C., announced unprecedented changes to local drug laws. Marijuana was at the centre of the changes, with several bodies downgrading the regulations surrounding the plant, while Oregon even went as far as to decriminalise Class A substances. But what were the changes in 2020 exactly, and what does all of this currently mean for citizens in these States?
Before It’s News - June 21, 2022
Michael J. Fox Says Having Parkinson's Is "Nothing" Compared to This
As an addict, his life felt erratic and out of control: "I couldn't be still… I couldn't gauge what that center of my equilibrium was," he said. Now sober, he says his life has a greater sense of calm, despite the difficulty of a progressively worsening disease.
Best Life - June 21, 2022
‘Untreated’: Patients with opioid addiction could soon lose access to virtual care
Thousands of patients turning to online help for opioid addiction could soon lose access to life-saving services that rapidly expanded during the pandemic — even as opioid deaths reach record levels. A new crop of startups boomed when regulations eased in 2020, allowing patients to see medical practitioners from their homes and skip the in-person visits normally required to get a prescription for buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid dependence.
POLITICO - June 20, 2022
CVS Health’s Intersection Strategies for Tech and Mental Health
CVS, Aetna, and other health plans are also investors in Shatterproof, a nonprofit founded and helmed by Gary Mendell, who lost his own son to addiction. Those plans are Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of North Carolina, Cigna, Horizon BCBS-NJ, and UnitedHealth Group. Additional investors include Beacon Health Options, GuideWell/New Directions Behavioral Health, and Magellan Health. One of Shatterproof's specific solutions is ATLAS (Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment, and Standards), "a free online tool that helps people find high-quality addiction treatment programs."
Health Leader’s Media - June 6, 2022
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Comments
Fentanyl
New Zealand ‘grossly underprepared’ as deadly drug fentanyl causes string of overdoses
New Zealand is “grossly underprepared” for the arrival of fentanyl, experts say, after the deadly drug was discovered circulating in the community for the first time, causing a string of overdoses.
The Guardian - June 27, 2022
Opinion: Here’s how you can save someone’s life from a fentanyl overdose
Not nearly enough attention has been given to the increasing frequency of opioid overdose. The Center for Disease Control reports that fentanyl overdose is now the national leading cause of death for people aged 18 to 45 and opioids were involved in 74.8 percent of all drug overdose deaths in 2020. I am begging you to take one simple action to stem this tide — ask for a free Narcan nasal spray device, which can be sprayed into the nostrils of an overdosing person and can often, and miraculously, reverse the overdose.
San Diego Union Tribune - June 27, 2022
After Fentanyl Killed Their Son, They Made It Their Mission To Save Lives
Fentanyl-related deaths are accidental as the drug is sometimes used in counterfeit prescription pills. That is how Chris and Laura Didier lost one of their children Zach. He bought a knockoff Percocet from someone online and died shortly after taking it. Recently on the FOX News Rundown, Chris and Laura Didier joined host Chris Foster to share Zach’s story and explain why they now speak out on this topic in hopes to educate families.
Fox Radio - June 26, 2022
150 faith leaders release letter supporting overdose prevention centers
In response to record numbers of overdose deaths, nearly 150 faith leaders signed onto a letter supporting the opening of overdose prevention centers. The letter demonstrates growing support for harm reduction strategies and the importance of treating drug use as an issue of public health.
Religious News Service - June 22, 2022
Pennsylvania could soon legalize fentanyl test strips
Pennsylvania could soon join over 20 other states in legalizing fentanyl test strips. The State House unanimously approved a bill Monday to allow drug users to identify fentanyl and other potentially deadly chemicals in their batch.
Local21 News - June 21, 2022
State / Local
Pennsylvania: DDAP launches new tool to help Pennsylvanians locate trusted Addiction Treatment
The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) was joined on Tuesday by national nonprofit Shatterproof and substance use disorder treatment provider Gaudenzia to announce the expansion of the free and confidential Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment and Standards Platform, ATLAS, to Pennsylvania.
The Bradford Era - June 22, 2022
New Jersey: Three N.J. police departments to learn how to identify families dealing with addiction
Law enforcement and social service providers in three areas of New Jersey will soon be able to better recognize when children and families have been affected by addiction. They will also know how to interact with them and connect them to the help they need. Officials announced the launch of a pilot program called the Child Trauma Response Initiative that will be piloted in Asbury Park, Millville, and Plainfield. The program will be a joint effort between the Department of Children and Families, Human Services, and the Attorney General’s Office Division of Public Safety.
WHYY - June 22, 2022
West Virginia: WVU Health Sciences launches site dedicated to addiction efforts
WVU Health Sciences has launched a website dedicated to information about the opioid epidemic and the University’s vision for a path forward. Located at health.wvu.edu/addiction, the website will serve as a hub for addiction-related information, research and resources, and it is a work-in-progress and represents ongoing efforts.
West Virginia School of Nursing - June 21, 2022
Fathers use holiday to bring awareness to addiction in Oklahoma
A pair of dads used the holiday to bring awareness to addiction in Oklahoma and across the country. Mendell and Whitten met and together they have made it their mission to offer science-based resources for prevention, treatment and recovery. "This is about everyone's son, everyone's daughter, everyone's loved one, everyone's friend," Mendell said. In 2011, he [Mendell] started Shatterproof, a non-profit dedicated to changing the country’s thinking on substance abuse and addiction. Just this week, their program Shatterproof and Atlas began working with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to show people treatment options, insurance requirements, best practices and more, all in an easy-to-use format.
KOCO - June 21, 2022
Studies/Research in the News
Department of Veteran Affairs studying psychedelics for treatment of PTSD, addiction
The Department of Veterans Affairs has begun offering psychedelic substances to patients in a series of clinical trials that may shed light on the therapeutic value of such drugs, the New York Times reports. MDMA, psilocybin and LSD — combined with psychotherapy — have been touted as a potentially revolutionary tool in treating addiction and other mental health conditions, Axios' Alison Snyder reports. Government clinicians seeking to explore such therapies to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and other conditions commonly experience by veterans have at least five trials currently underway or in the works, per the Times.
AXIOS - June 24, 2022
Allegheny Health Network studies deep brain stimulation for opioid addiction
Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network is studying whether deep brain stimulation can help people overcome opioid addiction. The pilot study will enroll three people with refractory opioid use disorder. Deep brain stimulation involves implanting electrodes into the brain powered by a pacemaker-like device near the patient's collarbone. The object is to release natural dopamine to reduce cravings and reverse physical changes to the brain caused by chronic drug use. The method is used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Deep brain stimulation targets the nucleus accumbens, a structure of the brain associated with drug addiction.
Becker’s Hospital Review - June 24, 2022
New report says to stop substance use disorder, you may need to treat what's behind it
A new report from the CDC says 1 in 3 people struggling with addiction also has an underlying serious mental health condition.The CDC review looked at 49,000 adults at 500 treatment centers. Researchers found, to try and manage their mental health, 40% said they turned to alcohol, and 30% turned to multiple substances -- including cannabis, opioids, stimulants, cocaine, or sedatives. To overcome the desire to self-medicate, Switzer, also sober now for more than 20 years, says you need a team approach to treat both mental health and substance use disorders.
KMPH Fox 26 - June 21, 2022
Opinion
What is ‘California sober’ — and does it actually work?
“California sober” adherents generally abstain from alcohol and “hard” drugs but still smoke cannabis. Some proponents, like the author of a 2019 Vice article that’s often cited as popularizing the term online, also take certain psychedelics. Proponents say that by choosing some drugs over others, they’ve been able to relax and expand their mind without suffering the pitfalls of addiction and other problems associated with substance abuse. Popstar Demi Lovato was perhaps the most high-profile advocate — they even wrote a song about it — but later said that “sober sober” was the only lifestyle that worked for their long-term recovery.
KTLA - June 25, 2022
Experts Say We Have the Tools to Fight Addiction. So Why Are More Americans Overdosing Than Ever?
Basic science and decades of failed policy have long since made clear that addiction is a legitimate medical condition — a chronic relapsing brain disorder, to be precise — and that it’s often triggered (or exacerbated) by mental illness or by social forces like poverty and childhood trauma. But the systems by which this disorder is treated have yet to shift accordingly. “There is a substantial and very persistent implementation gap,” said Dr. Sarah Wakeman, medical director for Substance Use Disorder at Mass General Brigham. “We’ve known for a long time what works, but it looks nothing like what’s actually happening.”
NY Times - June 24, 2022
Readers respond: Measure 110 fails addicts, community
Since the measure became law, only 2,576 tickets for drug possession have been written; the understaffed police are too busy, or ignore a lot of it. There is now no meaningful incentive for addicts to seek or accept help to turn their lives around.
Oregon Live - June 23, 2022
NYC’s liberal policies putting addicts on the road to an early grave
As an addict, I know full well the stark difference between shaming an addict and enabling him. In coddling addicts to the extreme, progressives in charge are confusing a reasonable “wait until he’s ready” mindset with a warped “let’s help him use (and steal) indefinitely.” We need to do better than this. In the age of fentanyl, eschewing consequences now only increases the likelihood of the ultimate consequence: death by overdose. New York City’s “progressive” attitude toward addiction doesn’t just do shopkeepers and first responders and taxpayers a disservice. They do addicts a disservice, as well. In a city where addicts’ feelings are far more important than their fates, the next thing you’ll likely read about David Gonzalez is his obituary. That’s not progressive. That’s an outrage.
NY Post - June 23, 2022
The Story You’ve Heard About Cities, Drugs, and Mental Illness Is Wrong
Calling San Francisco and other places “failed” cities for liberal policies is bad journalism. At worst, it exacerbates harm. When journalists on the fashion beat accept conventional wisdom as fact and don’t look too closely at whether the trends they describe are real, the worst that happens is unstylishness. When reporters covering addiction, homelessness, and mental illness do the same, it can lead to policies that do enormous harm, especially when mainstream media defaults to the idea that cops and coercion are always the most effective way to deal with these issues and refuses to reckon with the abundant research that shows otherwise.
Wired - June 21, 2022
Guest column: With addiction treatment, we need to move to 'recovery is expected' mindset
It’s now almost expected that before we purchase a product or hire a service, we research the quality and read the reviews. We do this for cars, restaurants, schools, primary care physicians, hospitals and more. Yet there’s one life-saving area where quality and reviews have not been available — addiction treatment. For me, this gap didn’t become obvious until after I lost my son Brian.
Oklahoman - June 19, 2022