The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - February 15, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Despite Biden support, harm reduction workers underfunded and face legal risks | Is there a difference between a “lapse” and a “relapse”?
Fentanyl
U.S. Sen. Ernst (R-Iowa) accuses China of intentional poisoning | Shatterproof weighs in on Biden’s State of the Union Address
State and Local
Philadelphia mayoral candidates discuss how to “fix” Kensington neighborhood | Colorado lawmakers consider safe consumption sites
Studies/Research in the News
Pre-paid cell phones remove barriers to tele healthcare | People who struggle with both mental health and substance use disorders arrested at higher rates
Opinion
Removing barriers for addiction treatment during pregnancy | Has America gone too far in legalizing vice?
Books and Movies
PBS airs documentary “Love in the Time of Fentanyl” | “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” doc chronicles life of artist and anti-Sackler activist Nan Goldin
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National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
National
Workers Fighting America’s Overdose Crisis Are ‘Hanging by a Thread’
Two years after Mr. Biden took office, with the nation’s drug supply increasingly complex and deadly, the practice of harm reduction remains underfunded and partially outlawed in many states. The work is often conducted by organizations that run syringe exchange programs, with workers like Ms. Krauss, a former methamphetamine user, functioning as brokers between drug users and the resources they need to manage their consumption. Those workers can face legal risk in the process.
New York Times - Feb. 10, 2023
Addiction treatment workforce: Montana Considers Allowing Physician Assistants to Practice Independently
Megan Zawacki started working at St. Peter’s Health in Helena, Montana, in 2020 as a physician assistant trained in treating addiction. She had gone through specialized training that allowed her to prescribe Suboxone, a medication to fight opioid addiction, but she couldn’t do so for six months. That’s because Zawacki was hired to work with a doctor who specialized in addiction medicine, but that doctor did not join St. Peter’s until three months after Zawacki was hired, and it was another three months before he became her supervisor. As Montana grapples with a health care provider shortage, state lawmakers are trying to find ways to increase access to care. One proposal up for debate is to give physician assistants like Zawacki more independence to practice unsupervised. Republican Rep. Jodee Etchart is sponsoring House Bill 313, which would let physician assistants practice without a supervision agreement. The bill is similar to laws in neighboring North Dakota and Wyoming.
Kaiser Health News - Feb. 10, 2023
Sports betting has risen tenfold in three years. Addiction experts fear the next opioid crisis
The sports betting market has multiplied tenfold in three years and may have reached $7 billion in 2022. More than half of the nation can now legally gamble on sports. Five years ago, betting on live games was illegal in most of the United States. A Supreme Court ruling in 2018 removed the ban and transformed the industry. Now, 33 states and the District of Columbia allow wagers on games. Addiction experts fear a coming national epidemic to rival the opioid crisis.
The Hill - Feb. 10, 2023
Addiction crackdown sees huge rise in prisoners getting clean
Thousands of prisoners are getting clean thanks to a doubling of drug-free wings in jails as the government’s war on addiction steps up a gear.
Gov.UK - Feb. 10., 2023
Kristen Bell on why she talks to her kids about drugs and sex: “I hate the word ‘taboo’’
Kristen Bell is a hero for our times. Beyond her stellar acting career (if you ask me, her best role will always be Veronica Mars, but I can appreciate a good Frozen or Good Place moment, too—I'm not a monster), Bell is known for being incredibly open and vulnerable. "I know it's shocking, but I talk to my kids about drugs, and the fact that their daddy is an addict and he's in recovery, and we talk about sex," she continued. "There are all these 'hard topics' that don't have to be if you give the person on the other end your vulnerability and a little bit of credit."
Marie Claire - Feb. 10, 2023
California Woman, 24, Died of Fentanyl Overdose While at Rehab Center: 'She Deserved Care'
A 24-year-old woman died after overdosing on fentanyl while staying at a California rehabilitation facility. The woman’s mother has called for an investigation and filed a lawsuit against the county and MFI Recovery, the private company running the Arlington Recovery Community & Sobering Center, claiming that they failed to protect her daughter while attempting to get treatment. The family's attorney, Elan Zektser, claims staff at the rehab center fabricated logs to show that they were checking on the 24-year-old every half hour. Ryder explained that prior to Bauman's death, she told her staff members weren't checking on her or providing enough water.
People - Feb. 9, 2023
The difference between relapsing and "lapsing," according to addiction experts
Distinguishing between "lapses" and "relapses" matters, according to Leonard, because it puts the phenomenon of breaking sobriety into a healthier context. While lapsing should never be taken lightly, it is common, and therefore a recovering addict should not feel ashamed. Most recovering addicts will lapse at one point or another. If they emotionally batter themselves over "failing" and decide to give up altogether, they will have made a terrible mistake — and will have held themselves to an unrealistically high standard.
Salon - Feb. 8, 2023
The Biden administration quietly eliminated a barrier to medication for opioid addiction
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Biden highlighted a recent policy change aimed at increasing access to a medication for opioid use disorder. "Together, we passed a law making it easier for doctors to prescribe effective treatments for opioid addiction," he said. One study found that just 10% of primary care providers in the U.S. were certified to prescribe buprenorphine from 2007 to 2017.
NBC - Feb. 8, 2023
Remaking America: Recovery High Schools And Teens Facing Addiction
Overdose deaths among teens doubled in the first year of the pandemic, according to data from UCLA. Schools have spent decades trying to prevent teens from using drugs and alcohol. As part of our "Remaking America" collaboration, we highlight reporting from partner station KUNC on kids facing mental health and substance abuse issues. One possible solution is recovery high schools. There are at least 45 recovery schools across the U.S. dedicated to students with addiction problems. We discuss the unique challenges young people face when seeking treatment, and how schools can do a better job of supporting them.
NPR - Feb. 6, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Comments
Fentanyl
Iowa senator accuses China of 'intentionally poisoning' Americans with fentanyl
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa claimed Friday that China is intentionally "poisoning America" through its continued production and sale of fentanyl. Ernst recently traveled to the border with a congressional delegation aimed at understanding crime and national security threats posed by rampant illegal immigration. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, China continues to be the primary source of fentanyl being imported into the United States, killing more than 100 Americans every day. It also continues to be the primary source of fentanyl for the rest of the world.
Fox - Feb. 11, 2023
China, top fentanyl source, blames US for 'drug culture' as Americans die from overdoses
The People's Republic of China released a report Thursday highlighting drug use in the United States, despite the fact that the majority of deadly fentanyl trafficked into the U.S. comes from China. The Chinese report rejected accusations from U.S. officials and law enforcement that the communist nation is supplying the trade, and instead sought to blame Americans. The report, titled "Drug Abuse in the United States," details the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MFA) assessment of cultural and governmental factors driving fatal the narcotics epidemic across the U.S.
Fox - Feb. 9, 2023
Shatterproof Statement on the State of the Union
Fentanyl was a focal point of President Biden’s second State of the Union address. More than 70,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. involved fentanyl in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fentanyl is the leading cause of death among adults ages 18-45. It impacts nearly every community in every state. Fentanyl-related deaths are arguably the most important issue our country faces right now. Shatterproof is grateful that the President made this a centerpiece of his speech, and that Congress is holding hearings to urgently address this crisis.
Shatterproof - Feb. 8, 2023
What is fentanyl poisoning? These State of the Union guests lost their son to it
By August 2022, the [drug overdose] count in a year period had reached more than 108,000, according to federal data. Fentanyl overdose is now the leading cause of death for adults 18 to 45, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here are a few actions political leaders could take that would immediately help to save lives, according to the [Didiers who lost their son to an overdose]: More education in schools to raise awareness about poison pills, counterfeit pills, fentanyl poisoning and how every child with a phone is at risk; enhanced screenings on what is transmitted through the U.S. border; updated communications laws to make it harder for drug dealers to prey on children through social media apps and other mediums.
USA Today - Feb. 7, 2023
Fentanyl Plan Draws 'Border' Cries From Republicans
Republicans critical of administration policy shouted "border" as President Biden unveiled his plans to try to stop illegal fentanyl from entering the country in his State of the Union speech. Mr. Biden is proposing sending 123 new scanners to points of entry along the border by fiscal year 2026. Those scanners will help Border Patrol officials increase the inspection capacity of passenger and commercial vehicles, the White House said. The administration will also launch a diplomatic effort to slow the flow of fentanyl globally. Illicit forms of fentanyl are mainly manufactured by drug cartels in Mexico, but the ingredients used to make the deadly drug are produced by Chinese chemical companies. White House officials said they are planning to work with Congress to permanently close a loophole that allows drug makers to avoid strict regulations and severe criminal penalties by altering the chemical structure of fentanyl. Lastly, the administration will work to increase access to Naloxone, an antidote to opioids that, according to the Mayo Clinic, can reverse the effects of an overdose within two to three minutes. And they will equip and train federal prisons to help people deal with substance abuse.
Wall Street Journal - Feb. 7, 2023
Biden to tout efforts to crack down on fentanyl smuggling in State of the Union
In his second State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Biden is slated to outline a series of actions the federal government is taking to crack down on the smuggling of fentanyl along the southern border, where Mexican cartels have sought to traffic thousands of pounds of the deadly synthetic opioid into the U.S. over the past year alone.
CBS - Feb. 7, 2023
GOP jeers Biden as he calls for fentanyl solution: ‘It’s your fault the border isn’t closed’
Republicans jeered at President Biden Tuesday night after he used his State of the Union speech to call for an answer to America's fentanyl problem, which prompted some lawmakers to yell "border!" in the House chamber to indicate he should close the southern border, and one Republican to shout, "It's your fault." "Fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans a year," Biden said before he was interrupted. When Republicans indicated Biden needs to close the border, Biden replied, "You got it," but didn't follow up with any details.
Fox - Feb. 7, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
State / Local
Pennsylvania: Mayoral hopefuls have started talking about how to ‘fix’ Kensington. Community leaders have heard it all before.
Ten Democratic mayoral candidates have started working to convince skeptical Kensington residents that their plans can provide both short-term relief and long-term results. But they have a lot of convincing to do.
Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb. 14, 2023
Colorado: Should Denver open a safe drug use site? The Colorado legislature may finally let it.
When Denver’s city council cleared the way for a supervised drug-use site to open here in late 2018, it left one roadblock in place: The state legislature had to give its blessing first. More than four years later, a group of Colorado lawmakers are preparing a bill that would clear that obstacle. The proposal, which is being drafted in the House, would let local governments decide whether to allow such sites to open in their jurisdiction, said Rep. Elisabeth Epps, a Denver Democrat and the bill’s primary sponsor. It wouldn’t set aside any money to fund any facilities, and cities would still have to provide their own approval, which Epps said is a pro-local control approach. State drug laws also wouldn’t change; any illicit substances brought into a sanctioned site would have to be acquired elsewhere.
Denver Post - Feb. 11, 2023
Oregon: Lawmakers consider shifting some Measure 110 addiction recovery money to cities and counties
Recovery advocates and providers are fighting potential funding cuts to Measure 110, which directs marijuana tax revenues toward addiction support programs and services, while decriminalizing low-level drug possession. House Bill 2089, discussed Wednesday and last week in the House Revenue Committee, would give cities, counties and state police millions of dollars of that revenue, cutting back on funding for Measure 110 addiction programs, without ending them entirely. Recovery advocates and providers say the state needs to give Measure 110 a chance to work before any funds are redirected elsewhere. But cities and counties say they have faced a sudden loss of marijuana tax revenue after Measure 110 passed – and need the money to provide essential services like law enforcement. The purpose of the proposal is to help “restore revenue that was abruptly lost,” Rep. Nancy Nathanson, D-Eugene and the revenue committee chair, said in a hearing. She’s the chief sponsor of HB 2089.
Oregon Capital Chronicle - Feb. 9, 2023
Oregon: Portland Music Venues Are Equipped to Stop Overdose Deaths
Ellen Wirshup was sitting under a bridge over the Sandy River last summer, mourning the loss of a good friend to an overdose, when a question popped into her head. “How can I just get Narcan everywhere?” she wondered. Her answer is Project RED. What began in August as one woman’s door-to-door effort to get Narcan behind the counter at downtown Portland’s bars and clubs has become a full-fledged program, now part of a recovery initiative at the Alano Club of Portland, that ships the life-saving medication across the state. It will soon offer training for Portland Public Schools administrators, Wirshup says.
Willamette Week - Feb. 8, 2023
Oregon: New harm reduction bill tackles Oregon's overdose crisis
A new bill is being born from a key phrase as lawmakers try to tackle Oregon's overdose crisis. "The key [phrase] here is harm reduction, harm reduction, harm reduction," said Rep. Lisa Reynolds, the Democrat representative of House District 34 in the Oregon State Legislature. Harm reduction is the concept of engaging with people who use drugs to lessen the negative consequences of usage and giving them tools to stay alive. House Bill 2395 is making its way through Oregon's House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care.The supporting lawmakers of HB 2395 want to increase access to Narcan nasal spray or its generic naloxone, the opioid overdose-reversing medication. Plus, the bill's authors want to protect anyone who uses it in an emergency from civil and criminal liability.
KVAL 13 - Feb. 7, 2023
Pennsylvania: How anxiety came to dominate the big business of medical marijuana cards in Pennsylvania
In the summer of 2019, the Pennsylvania Department of Health changed its rules to allow patients to use medical marijuana for another condition: anxiety disorders. Pennsylvania is one of only a few states to specifically endorse cannabis as a treatment for anxiety. Anxiety disorders are now the leading reason Pennsylvanians get a medical marijuana card, a first-of-its-kind analysis of more than 1.1 million certification records obtained by Spotlight PA reveals. In 2021, the most recent full year of data, doctors created more than 385,000 medical marijuana certifications — and anxiety disorders were a factor in 60% of them. But medical evidence that cannabis or its compounds help treat anxiety is limited and mixed. In fact, a major national study in 2017 noted that regular “cannabis use is likely to increase the risk for developing social anxiety disorder.”
Go Erie - Feb. 7, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Studies/Research in the News
It Takes Only One Conversation a Day To Feel Better, Study Finds
A new study published in Communication Research sought to find out what types of conversations people need to have, and how often they should have them, in order to improve their well-being. The researchers found that having at least one conversation with a friend can increase happiness and lower stress levels by the end of each day.
Vice - Feb. 12, 2023
Pre-Paid Cell Phones Break Barriers to Healthcare Engagement for People with Addiction
When healthcare workers gave patients with addiction pre-paid cell phones, it led to these patients engaging more frequently with the healthcare system via telehealth visits and phone encounters. For patients with addiction, consistent engagement with their healthcare team is key for recovery, meaning they could be treated as an outpatient and not have to escalate to a more intensive inpatient setting.
Health City - Feb. 7, 2023
People who face both mental illness, addiction are arrested at higher rates
Only 10% of all adults with co-occurring disorders received treatment for both conditions in the past year, national survey data shows. Policymakers are increasingly focused on justice system interactions with and outcomes for people with either mental illness or substance use disorders.1 What has received less attention, however, is the extent to which people with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (hereafter called cooccurring disorders) become involved with the justice system. Pew’s analysis found that adults reporting co-occurring serious or moderate mental illness (hereafter “mental illness”) and substance use disorders in the past year were far more likely to be arrested compared with both those with mental illness alone and those who didn’t experience any mental illness or substance use disorder as defined by NSDUH.
PEW Trusts - Feb. 6, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Opinion
America Has Gone Too Far in Legalizing Vice
The attitude that anyone who falls into gambling addiction has only themselves to blame has allowed state lawmakers to ignore arguments that more access to gambling might make it easier for people to lose control. Similarly, when marijuana legalization is debated, supporters emphasize how the responsible use of marijuana might alleviate the pain of those suffering from incurable diseases. They also point to the worst excesses of the War on Drugs, which disproportionately affect Black people, though are fortunately getting rarer. This argument has been successful: Only four states still prohibit all uses of marijuana. In 19 states, the recreational use of marijuana is now fully legal; all other states allow medicinal use of cannabis products.
The Atlantic - Feb. 11, 2023
With intergenerational addiction, how much chance did I have to avoid alcoholism?
It turns out that if your father is a Stanley Cup champion, and also an alcoholic, you stand a much greater chance of following in his footsteps down one path than the other. Just a few years after I began drinking as a freshman, I found myself the ringleader among a group of guys who could stack cups of booze that would dwarf Lord Stanley’s mug. What had changed internally, to eventually lead me to a month-long stay at the Renascent treatment facility in downtown Toronto?
Globe and Mail - Feb. 10., 2023
Barriers to addiction treatment during pregnancy hurt moms, babies
Though it may be hard for many to fathom, even pregnant people and new parents can have active substance use disorders. They need support, not criminalization. The addiction and overdose crisis, which now claims more than 100,000 lives a year, shows little sign of abating, and emerging data highlight its startling impact on pregnant people: Overdose is now a leading cause of death during or shortly after pregnancy. People seeking treatment for addictions face additional obstacles, especially if they have children. Only a small minority of treatment facilities provide child care, creating yet another obstacle on top of securing transportation, housing, food, and other necessities, all of which can be more difficult for people who are also supporting children. The barriers get even higher for pregnant people.
STAT - Feb. 8, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Books and Movies
Love in the Time of Fentanyl Tells the Whole Truth
”Love in the Time of Fentanyl,” which premieres today on PBS, is an atypical entry into the bloated addiction documentary canon because of its narrow focus on a grassroots harm reduction effort. Director Colin Askey doesn’t gloss over the frequently-grim reality of serious substance use disorders—hence the overdose opening—but he insists on the humanity of drug users and the communities they call home.
Wired - Feb. 13, 2023
'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed' chronicles Nan Goldin's career of art and activism
When Nan Goldin started taking her photographs to galleries back in the late 1970s, the photos were considered too transgressive, too raw, too weird. Over time, her work was acknowledged as groundbreaking and was added to the permanent collections of major museums, including the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Those were some of the museums she targeted when she led a campaign to get art institutions to take down the Sackler family name and stop accepting their money. Goldin became addicted to OxyContin after it was prescribed while she was recovering from surgery. The new Oscar-nominated documentary "All The Beauty And The Bloodshed" is about Goldman's anti-Sackler campaign and her life and work.
NPR - Feb. 9, 2023
Melissa Barrera Is a Mother Struggling With Addiction in 'All The World Is Sleeping' Trailer
“All The World is Sleeping” is another title that displays the incredible range that Melissa Barrera has been able to showcase as she establishes herself as one of the most exciting new talents in Hollywood. As a young girl in New Mexico, Chama strived to be different from her Mother. Now in her 20s, she’s found herself falling into a similar cycle of generational addiction. This struggle threatens her balance as a Mother to her own daughter. As Chama tries to keep it all together, a harrowing accident will spiral her out of control causing her daughter to be taken from her custody. With nothing left, she’ll have to confront her past in order to fight for a future — one that can either guide her closer to getting her daughter back or lead her deeper into this dangerous cycle.
Collider - Feb. 8, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments