The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - September 14, 2022
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Decline in heroin overdoses linked to fentanyl | Eminem opens up about recovery
Fentanyl
“Below Decks” Captain Lee discusses son’s overdose | NY officials sound alarm about fentanyl
State and Local
S.F. Supervisors pass resolution to decriminalize psychedelics in San Francisco | Wisconsin Legislature approves $31 million opioid settlement spending plan
Studies/Research in the News
JAMA article highlights research on use of psilocybin for alcohol use disorder | Researchers say alcohol warning labels need an update
Opinion
Ending COVID telehealth medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) could be dangerous, experts warn | Syringe exchange programs can lower drug use and save lives
Books and Movies
New documentary focuses on photographer/activist who turns lens on big pharma
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National
Shatterproof 5K walk to be held at Soldier Field aims to save lives from addiction crisis
On Saturday, the group Shatterproof welcomed hundreds to a 5K walk with the goal of ending the addiction crisis in the U.S. The Rise Up Against Addiction walk began at Soldier Field, heading north to the Loop and then back south to the Museum Campus for the final stretch. The walk was open to those currently fighting for their sobriety, those who love them, and anyone who's life has been impacted by addiction.
CBS2 - Sept. 10, 2022
Family awarded $77M in wrongful death case against addiction treatment center
Nick Carusillo died when he was hit by multiple vehicles on a Georgia interstate, just days after he was abruptly discharged from an addiction treatment center. Now his parents hope a substantial jury verdict in their favor will prompt change that helps others suffering from mental illness and substance abuse.
NBC - Sept. 9, 2022
Heroin overdoses are vanishing from D.C. The reason? Fentanyl.
D.C.’s latest opioid overdose statistics, released by city officials in August, show that heroin was detected in only 15 of the 166 opioid deaths recorded in the first five months of 2022. The figures herald the arrival of a moment long predicted by public health experts: The near-total replacement of heroin by fentanyl, a far more powerful and deadly opioid that has driven drug deaths in America to historic highs.
Washington Post - Sept. 8, 2022
Eminem Opens Up About Getting Sober Over a Decade After His Near-Fatal Drug Overdose
It took a near-death experience for Eminem to finally realize that he needed help with his drug addiction that, at one point, had him taking 75 to 80 Valium a night. The rap legend appeared on the latest episode of his longtime manager Paul Rosenberg's Paul Pod podcast, during which he discussed the journey of recovery he went on following that 2007 event that both agreed almost ended his life.
Vanity Fair - Sept. 8, 2022
Qatar warns World Cup fans about sneaking alcohol into country
Fans travelling to the 2022 World Cup will not be able to take alcohol for personal consumption into Qatar, with the head of the country's safety and security committee saying that "specific measures" are in place to take action against anyone attempting to smuggle liquor in their luggage.
ESPN - Sept. 8, 2022
Candy, Cash, Gifts: How Rewards Help Recovery From Addiction
For an increasing number of Americans, addiction treatment involves not only hard work, but also earning rewards — sometimes totaling $500 — for negative drug tests or showing up for counseling or group meetings. There's brain science behind the method, which is known as contingency management. And barriers to wider adoption of reward programs, such as government concerns about fraud, are starting to crumble.
U.S. News and World Report - Sept. 7, 2022
A Slow-Motion Crisis: Gen Z’s Battle Against Depression, Addiction, Hopelessness
New research reveals the depth of the mental health crisis among America's youth. Some organizations that are finding innovative ways to help.
The74 - Sept. 7, 2022
How rewards help recovery from addiction
For an increasing number of Americans, drug addiction treatment involves not only hard work, but also earning rewards — sometimes totaling $500 — for negative drug tests or showing up for counseling or group meetings. (AP Video: Emma H. Tobin)
USA Today - Sept. 7, 2022
Rise of legal sports betting has addiction experts worried
In the wake of the landmark 2018 Supreme Court decision that made legal wagering on games a state-by-state decision, sports gambling has gone mainstream — with professional leagues and state legislatures embracing it as a revenue source and betting advertisements and discussion becoming a regular part of the fan experience. Combined with the boom of sports betting apps, which eliminate much of the friction that once slowed the gambling process, concerns are growing over the potential for new gamblers to become hooked.
Washington Post - Sept. 6, 2022
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Comments
Fentanyl
Texas sheriff says fentanyl should be classified as weapon of mass destruction
Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson says the illicit drug fentanyl that’s pouring into Texas through the southern border should be labeled as a "weapon of mass destruction."
Washington Examiner - Sept. 12, 2022
'Below Deck''s Captain Lee No Longer Calls Son's Drug Overdose Accidental
Bravo's Below Deck star, Captain Lee Rosbach, has spoken out again about his son's death in July 2019, saying that he no longer considers it an accidental overdose. Several years ago, the superyacht captain's 42-year-old son, Joshua Lee Rosbach, died of a drug overdose. Rosbach has been vocal since then about the effects of the opioid crisis in America, and on Tuesday, Rosbach sat down with the Heart of the Matter host Elizabeth Vargas to talk about his son's addiction. "What he didn't know, that what he was buying and what it contained wasn't exactly what he thought it was," Rosbach added. "[It] contained fentanyl, so he didn't die from an accidental overdose. He knew the amount that he was taking. He died from an accidental poisoning."
Newsweek - Sept. 9, 2022
Idaho sheriff sends dire warning to Biden officials about 'terrifying' rainbow fentanyl coming across border
An Idaho sheriff said Wednesday his community does not have the resources to deal with the influx of fentanyl that has been coming over the southern border.
Fox - Sept. 7, 2022
Deadly fentanyl-laced street drugs raise alarms in NY. Will drug injection sites open?
Drug overdose spikes in upstate New York have authorities raising alarms about street dealers selling illicit drugs laced with fentanyl and other deadly synthetic opioids statewide.
Observer-Dispatch - Sept. 6, 2022
Drug overdose spikes in upstate New York have authorities raising alarms about street dealers selling illicit drugs laced with fentanyl and other deadly synthetic opioids
statewide.
Gov. Jared Polis opposes safe drug use sites and definitive research on their impact is lacking. In November 2018, the city council positioned Denver to be on the leading edge of an alternative approach to addressing illicit drug use and the wave of overdose deaths that was — and still is — sweeping the country. The only condition was that the state legislature had to pass a law clearing the way for a supervised use facility in the state.
Greeley Tribune - Sept. 5, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
State / Local
Pennsylvania: Stigma about addiction creates barriers to people finding a path to recovery
Recovery from addiction is about as common as being left-handed. But stigma and pessimism about addiction persist, and they contribute to painful — and frequently tragic — outcomes. The Pittsburgh Recovery Walk on Sept. 17 aims to celebrate recovery and honor those lost to drug and alcohol addiction.
PublicSource - Sept. 12, 2022
California: Resolution That Decriminalizes Psychedelic Drugs Passed By San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution earlier this week decriminalizing psychedelic drugs within the city while also urging both the state and federal government to pass similar legislation.
California Globe - Sept. 9, 2022
Massachusetts nursing facilities operator settles with DOJ over addiction discrimination claims
Next Step Healthcare, an operator of 21 skilled nursing facilities in Massachusetts, has settled with the state’s U.S. Attorney’s Office over allegations that it turned away hundreds of patients because they were taking medications to treat their opioid use disorder.
WGBH - Sept. 9, 2022
Wisconsin Legislatures unanimously approve $31 million opioid settlement spending plan
The Wisconsin Legislature's budget committee unanimously approved a spending plan Thursday for $31 million the state expects to receive this year from a multi-state settlement with drug manufacturers over their role in the opioid crisis. The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee prioritized funding for Narcan, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, fentanyl testing strips, new treatment facilities and prevention programs, grants for law enforcement, improving data collection and helping tribes fight the opioid crisis. Republicans last month had blocked a spending plan proposed by Gov. Tony Evers, saying they wanted time to improve that plan.
Fox - Sept. 8, 2022
Illinois: Using settlement money to fight the opioid crisis
Local officials are expanding tools to address the opioid crisis while considering how to invest hundreds of millions in future settlement money.
AXIOS - Sept. 8, 2022
California: City Officials Introduce 'San Francisco Recovers' Strategy To Intervene Street Drug Market
A group of San Francisco supervisors released an ambitious strategy to confront the city's rise in fatal drug overdoses on Tuesday. Labeled "San Francisco Recovers," the resolution plans to use some of the $100 million the city earned in opioid litigation settlements over the past few years in a three-pronged approach -- incentivizing and supporting those with substance-use disorders to seek recovery, ending street-level using and dealing and calling on 21 city departments to analyze their resources and obstacles to progress.
SF Gate - Sept. 7, 2022
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Studies/Research in the News
Opioid Use May Play a Part in Anxiety — Here’s What to Know
Opioids’ effects on mental health are less well-known, but evidenceTrusted Source suggests prescription opioid use may increase your chances of developing anxiety or depression. Using opioids may also worsen existing anxiety symptoms.
HealthLine - Sept. 11, 2022
Polysubstance use and addiction on the rise in Pa. and Del., new report finds
A new report by one of the region’s largest non-profit addiction treatment organizations shows an uptick in polysubstance use, or the use of multiple drugs at the same time. This, experts say, can drive more overdose deaths.
WHYY - Sept. 10, 2022
Mass General researchers find obtaining a medical marijuana card can increase the risk of cannabis use disorder, anxiety and depression
In a recent study, Jodi Gilman, Ph.D., the Director of Neuroscience at the Center for Addiction Medicine (CAM) at the Mass General Research Institute as well as an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, explored how receiving a card for medical cannabis usage impacts mental health outcomes.
EurekAlert - Sept. 9, 2022
An antidote for meth addiction? Doctors in Everett say it's quite possible
An Everett, Washington hospital was chosen to take part in a research study for a new treatment for meth addiction. While there are medical and chemical treatments to help people recover from opioid addiction there is nothing for meth, until now. Robey is part of a research study at the hospital treating meth addicts with monoclonal antibodies, the same technique used to treat COVID-19.
King5 - Sept. 8, 2022
Matching patients with addiction to the right treatment
Do all addiction treatments work for all patients with addiction? Not according to Dr. Martin O. Job, addiction research scientist and assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. To learn which patients might respond well to a particular intervention, Job is working to identify phenotypes and pharmacotypes among animal subjects.
Rowan University - Sept. 7, 2022
Can Psilocybin Help Individuals With Alcohol Dependence?
Recently, Michael Bogenschutz and colleagues published the results of a clinical trial of psilocybin for the treatment of alcohol dependence in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. The results are preliminary but intriguing. Participants substantially decreased drinking behavior. Benefits of the treatment persisted for at least 24 weeks after treatment sessions ended.
Psychology Today - Sept. 7, 2022
Alcohol Warning Labels Need an Update, Researchers Say
Warning labels on alcoholic drinks need to be updated to spell out details of potential harm in order to make them more effective, two U.S. researchers say.The current labelling has not changed for 30 years and focuses only on risks during pregnancy and with operating machinery, with a vague statement that alcohol “may cause health problems.” This is “so understated that it borders on being misleading,” the researchers say.
WebMD - Sept. 1, 2022
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Opinion
Ending telehealth cuts off a vital tool against opioid addiction
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) loosened restrictions to allow DEA-registered practitioners to issue medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to patients without first conducting an in-person evaluation. Sadly, the telemedicine exemption will lapse at the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration, currently set to expire on October 2022, at which point new and existing patients will lose access to these potentially life-saving services.
The Hill - Sept. 11, 2022
Accessible syringe exchange programs can lower drug use and save lives
But syringe exchange programs can do more than reduce transmission of serious infectious diseases. They can also be an entry to primary care, community-based services, and lifesaving substance abuse treatment programs.
Philadelphia Inquirer - Sept. 8, 2022
The U.S. Has Led the War on Drugs Abroad for Decades, and It’s Been a Staggering Failure
Colombia, one of the world’s top producers of cocaine, has long been a key partner in Washington’s failed war on drugs. But Gustavo Petro, the newly sworn-in Colombian president, has made good on a campaign pledge to take his country in a different direction. Last month, he said he would end forced eradication of coca, and support legislation to decriminalize and regulate cocaine sales in an effort to undercut illicit markets and the profit motive that drives them.
New York Times - Sept. 7, 2022
Jails must join fight against epidemic of addiction
Hundreds of people a day detox in Pennsylvania’s 73 jails. Like Mr. Maynor, most of them go untreated, perpetuating an epidemic of opioid addiction that kills thousands of Pennsylvanians a year. Upon release, they face a likely relapse and, with diminished tolerance due to a period of abstinence, a significant risk of fatal overdose.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Sept. 3, 2022
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Books and Movies
Documentary on Activist Photographer Wins Top Prize at Venice Film Festival
A documentary film about photographer Nan Goldin and her fight to hold a pharmaceutical firm accountable for the U.S. opioid crisis has won the top Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival this weekend, only the second time a documentary has won the illustrious prize.
PetaPixel- Sept. 12, 2022
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