The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - February 1, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Does private equity ownership of SUD treatment facilities mean scaled-back care? | Naloxone vending machines | Impact of the MAT and MATE Acts | The dark side of Ibogaine for addiction treatment
Fentanyl
AZ bill would allow 1st degree murder charges for fentanyl deaths | Fentanyl ODs contributes to coroner’s lack of storage for bodies
State and Local
Nashville music venues to stock opioid emergency response kits | East Harlem residents express concerns about safe consumption sites | NYC bars receive Narcan training
Studies/Research in the News
High cost of SUD treatment for employer-sponsored health plans | Too few youth receive medication for addiction treatment (MAT) | Cornell undergad publishes useful review of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders
Opinion
What no one is telling you about the opioid crisis | Former DEA deputy chief of staff tells Alabama opioid crisis and solutions are not red state, blue state issue
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National
Private Equity and Addiction Treatment: Some addiction treatment centers turn big profits by scaling back care
Addiction researchers and private equity watchdogs said models like the one used by BRC — charging high patient fees without guaranteeing access to evidence-based care — are common throughout the country's addiction treatment industry. Centers that discourage or prohibit the use of FDA-approved medications for the treatment of substance use disorder are plentiful, but in doing so they do not align with the American Society of Addiction Medicine's guidelines on how to manage opioid use disorder over the long term.
CBS - Jan. 30, 2023
Vending machines with lifesaving drug grow as opioid crisis rages in US
Naloxone, an overdose-reversing ‘miracle drug’, can let people with an opioid addiction walk away from a near-death experience within minutes. Naloxone vending machines have proliferated across the country, from rural counties to college campuses and jails, as the US continues to struggle to contain the rising toll of an epidemic the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates has claimed more than 700,000 lives since the crisis took off in 1999, driven by drug manufacturers pushing prescription painkillers.
The Guardian - Jan. 29, 2023
‘Mighty Ducks’ actor from N.J. conquers meth addiction to stay sober 3 years after arrest
Shaun Weiss was arrested three years ago for residential burglary and being under the influence of drugs. But this week, the actor is marking three years of sobriety. Weiss, known for playing goalie Greg Goldberg in “The Mighty Ducks” movies when he was a child, reflected on his history of methamphetamine addiction on Instagram Wednesday.
NJ.com - Jan. 29, 2023
Jerry Garcia’s Grateful Dead weed brand is leaving California
The Garcia Hand Picked brand, launched by the deceased musician’s family in 2020, has pulled out of the state, a spokesperson confirmed to SFGATE. Garcia’s exit comes as cannabis insiders predict a “mass extinction event” for California’s pot industry, with thousands of companies expected to go out of business this year.
SF Gate - Jan. 29, 2023
Parents push for Congress to address Snapchat drug dealers
Parents testified this week at a House hearing on Capitol Hill where they called on both Congress and tech companies to do more to fight the opioid crisis in this country. With the rise of overdoses involving children, lawsuits are now being filed against social media companies, such as Snapchat, for putting children in danger.
Fox5 - Jan. 27, 2023
The Cause of Depression Is Probably Not What You Think
Surveys indicate that more than 80% of the public blames a “chemical imbalance” in the brain. That idea is widespread in pop psychology and cited in research papers and medical textbooks. The unbalanced brain chemical in question is serotonin, an important neurotransmitter with fabled “feel-good” effects. Yet the causes of depression go far beyond serotonin deficiency.
Quanta Magazine - Jan. 26, 2023
Aaron Carter's Family Speaks Out On Addiction
The family of Aaron Carter has recently spoken out, claiming the singer’s death was not the result of drowning but rather an overdose that they say may be connected to an alleged $800 drug deal he made the night he died.
Addiction Center - Jan. 25, 2023
Included in the Omnibus Bill of 2022 was the Restoring Hope for Mental Health Well Being Act, the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act (MAT Act), and the Medication Access and Training Expansion Act (MATE Act). It repealed the X-waiver, previously required by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for health care practitioners to prescribe Schedule III opioid buprenorphine as medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder. The legislation now mandates that anyone other than a veterinarian under state law licensed to prescribe controlled substances and/or who holds a DEA license – including physicians, dentists, chiropractors, podiatrists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants – will be required to complete a one-time eight-hour course on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders and the safe pharmacological management of pain.
Policy & Medicine - Jan. 24, 2023
The psychedelic ibogaine can treat addiction. The race is on to cash in
Clinics and scientists around the world aim to turn a profit from a powerful Gabonese plant – but it’s an ethical and legal wild west. Using ibogaine as a treatment for substance use disorder has become a primary focus of research, but its legal status and potential health risks have made it difficult for researchers to study its effect on humans.Over the past decade, ibogaine’s popularity has incentivized poachers to target shrubs in Gabon, one of the few places Tabernanthe iboga, the plant ibogaine is most commonly derived from, naturally propagates. The ongoing poaching is depleting natural reserves of iboga in Gabon’s forests and cutting Gabonese people out of an industry that would not exist without their Indigenous knowledge.
The Guardian - Jan. 24, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Comments
Fentanyl
The fight against fentanyl at school
Two suspected fentanyl overdoses among teenagers this month have Montgomery County school officials pushing back with an outreach to parents. Youth fentanyl overdoses increased by 78% in 2022, county officials say, including both fatal and non-fatal overdoses. Maryland has a Good Samaritan law that protects people from legal trouble if they administer naloxone or try to help someone who has overdosed.
Axios - Jan. 27, 2023
New drug contributing to overdose epidemic in Massachusetts
In Boston and across the state, an animal tranquilizer called xylazine is being mixed with opioids and is intensifying concerns surrounding the overdose epidemic in Massachusetts. “It’s all over Massachusetts,” said Julie Burns, the president and CEO of RIZE Massachusetts, a public-private partnership dedicated to funding solutions to end the overdose crisis.
wcvb5 - Jan. 27, 2023
An opioid 40X stronger than fentanyl
A synthetic opioid first developed in the 1950s is falling back into the hands of Americans. Nitazines, nicknamed Frankenstein opioids, are up to 40 times stronger than fentanyl. Fentanyl is already 50 times more powerful than heroin. As the supply of street drugs rises, the rise in nitazine-related deaths is increasing the public health response to the addiction crisis in a growing number of cities across the U.S.
News Nation - Jan. 27, 2023
Arizona bill would charge fentanyl dealers with first-degree murder for overdose deaths
First-degree murder for dealing fentanyl? That’s what’s being proposed in an Arizona Senate bill that just passed out of its first committee. It would allow first-degree murder charges for sellers or dealers of fentanyl if it results in an overdose death. But this comes with strong opinions on both sides. Everyone can agree the fentanyl crisis is terrible and fentanyl is a dangerous and deadly drug. For families who have lost a child to it, the proposal sounds like a step in the right direction. But others say it may actually criminalize the wrong people and be difficult to prove intent.
AZ Family - Jan. 26, 2023
Upstate woman who lost son to fentanyl wants South Carolina legislature to address the issue
Jada Smith lost her son to fentanyl in 2020. She wants state laws to change and wants people to learn more about the deadly drug. "[It's] a powerful drug. It doesn't discriminate," Smith said. State lawmakers are talking about it as well. There are two bills that are going through the state house right now. Senate Bill 1 would allow law enforcement to charge someone who deals fentanyl that results in a deadly overdose with homicide, punishable by up to 30 years in prison. There's also Senate Bill 153, which could make trafficking fentanyl a crime, like other hard drugs.
WYFF4 - Jan. 26, 2023
Washington: King County medical examiner’s office is struggling to store bodies amid rise in fentanyl overdoses
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office says its morgue is running out of space to store bodies, partly due to a rise in fentanyl-related deaths, according to the Director of Public Health for Seattle and King County. “A key indication of just how bad things are at the end of 2022, and likely to get worse in 2023 – the Medical Examiner’s office is now struggling with the issue of storing bodies because the fentanyl-related death toll continues to climb,” said Dr. Faisal Khan, the county’s public health director, during a King County Board of Health meeting last week.
KIRO 7 - Jan. 24, 2023
State / Local
New Mexico: Health Department seeks funds to take action on alcohol
The state Department of Health has asked the Legislature for $5 million to build an Office of Alcohol Prevention, which would expand the staff focused on reducing excess drinking from a single epidemiologist to a team of 13. If created, the office would represent a significant increase in resources and personnel focused on the state’s epidemic of alcohol-related deaths.
Santa Fe New Mexican - Jan. 28, 2023
Tennessee: Opioid emergency response kits coming to 72+ live music venues in Nashville
Gibson Gives, the charitable division of Gibson Brands, is providing opioid overdose kits to live music venues. The initiative, the TEMPO Nashville Live Music Venue Program, was announced at the Gibson Garage Thursday morning. TEMPO stands for Training and Empowering Musicians to Prevent Overdose. Each kit will have two doses of Naloxone to help those having an opioid overdose. Once you open a kit, a short video gives instructions on how to administer the nasal spray.
WKRN - Jan. 26, 2023
As overdose deaths climb in NYC, East Harlem residents say a safe space for users is hurting their neighborhood
As the death toll from opioids skyrockets in New York, the role of supervised drug injection centers in reducing fatalities has been a key focus of attention. Their purpose was to curb deaths. At the center, users bring their own drugs for use under the supervision of staff, and advocates say it’s a lifesaving model that should be replicated across the country. But resistance — both on the local and national level — has been strong.
New York Daily News - Jan. 26, 2023
New York: Trainings begin for NYC bars receiving supply of life-saving Narcan
Two-dozen staff members of the various Manhattan bars huddled around the counter at Lucky Jacks, a local’s spot in the Lower East Side on Tuesday. They were there to get trained on when, and how, to administer Narcan – the brand name for the drug naloxone, a medication administered via nasal spray that reserves the effects of an opioid overdose.
Gothamist - Jan. 25, 2023
Washington: King County medical examiner’s office is struggling to store bodies amid rise in fentanyl overdoses
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office says its morgue is running out of space to store bodies, partly due to a rise in fentanyl-related deaths, according to the Director of Public Health for Seattle and King County. “A key indication of just how bad things are at the end of 2022, and likely to get worse in 2023 – the Medical Examiner’s office is now struggling with the issue of storing bodies because the fentanyl-related death toll continues to climb,” said Dr. Faisal Khan, the county’s public health director, during a King County Board of Health meeting last week.
KIRO 7 - Jan. 24, 2023
Pennsylvania: Access to meds for opioid addiction in Pa. expected to increase in 2023
Medical experts say recent legislation could help reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths in Pennsylvania. Access to medications for opioid use disorder is expected to increase this year, while a pilot program at a Lehigh Valley hospital is already under way. Previously, doctors had to obtain a federal certification to prescribe drugs like Suboxone, but an addition to the recent congressional omnibus bill would remove that requirement later this year.
WESA 90.5 - Jan. 22, 2023
Studies/Research in the News
Employer-Sponsored Health Plans Face High Costs for SUD Treatment
Employer-sponsored health plans paid $35.3 billion to cover substance use disorder treatments in 2018, a recent study published by JAMA Network Open found.
Health Pay Intelligence - Jan. 25, 2023
As Opioid Deaths Rise Among Teens, Too Few Youth Get Anti-Addiction Drug
The number of American teenagers becoming addicted to opioids is on the rise, yet fewer are being prescribed a medication that can help them, a new government study finds. Between 2015 and 2020, the proportion of teens receiving buprenorphine prescriptions fell by 45%. Buprenorphine is one of three medications approved to treat opioid addiction. The decline in prescriptions is "concerning," given that the opioid crisis is actually worsening, said lead researcher Dr. Andrew Terranella, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
U.S. News & World Report - Jan. 24, 2023
Substance use disorders cost employer-sponsored health insurance over $35B a year: CDC study
Treating substance use disorders costs employer-sponsored insurance $35.3 billion a year, with alcohol and opioid misuse topping the list of what many working-age people struggle with, according to a study by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Fierce Healthcare - Jan. 24, 2023
Engelking, Hagan publish opioid addiction research
Yumeng Tao Engelking ’20 is just months into medical school, but her research from her undergraduate years at Cornell is already making a difference in the world of wellness. She’s listed as the main author of a newly published peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Psychological Inquiry, “A Review of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction,” which explains the medication options to treat addiction and explains the benefits and drawbacks of each one.
Cornell University - Jan. 23, 2023
Opinion
I Took Oxy And Fentanyl For Years. Here's What No One Is Telling You About The Opioid Crisis.
I was one of the millions of Americans who needed high doses of opioids while unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies lied and encouraged doctors to over-prescribe OxyContin, while “pill mills” distributed these addictive medications far and wide, and while illegally produced Fentanyl found its way into street drugs like heroin.I had forced visits with psychiatrists to assess whether I was an addict. They said I wasn’t. Still, my doctor got a lot of pressure because of me. I don’t know how many hours he spent on the phone justifying my treatment. I lived in a constant stew of shame for needing these medications, and I feared that I’d lose them and the small life I’d scratched out next to the pain. I raged at how difficult this all was.
Huffington Post - Jan. 30, 2023
Opioid crisis not a red or blue state issue – it’s an American issue
Over one million Americans have succumbed to drug overdoses since the turn of the century, with more than 107,000 dying in 2021 alone. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45, more than violent crime, automobile accidents, and yes, COVID-19. Alabama must embrace the entire spectrum of drug prevention, harm reduction, and treatment efforts. The opioid crisis is not a red or blue state issue – it’s an American issue. While some of these measures have been politicized, they are the most effective tools we have in the fight against drug abuse and are proven to save lives. Alabama’s legislators must ensure individuals across the state have access to the same life-saving measures as those living in other parts of the country.
Alabama.com - Jan. 29, 2023
My Mom Died of an Overdose. I Talk About It Openly to Help Others.
Four years ago, at the age of 45, my mom died of a drug overdose. She struggled with addiction her whole life and had been in and out of treatment. I share my and her story to help others going through the same things we went through.
Business Insider - Jan. 29, 2023
It’s Time For States To Measure The Effectiveness Of Their OUD Treatment Systems
State policy makers are eager for solutions to address the opioid crisis and help more people recover. Many, however, are stymied by limited information about how well their treatment systems work and where to target improvements to help more people start and stay in effective treatment. They also lack targeted, disaggregated data that allow them to address disparities in care. To gain these insights, states must measure the continuum of addiction treatment—from diagnosis to recovery—to understand what services patients receive and where they need support. This is a framework known as the cascade of care.
Health Affairs - Jan. 25, 2023
Op-Ed: Opioids don’t do enough for chronic pain sufferers
To overcome the opioid epidemic, it is not enough to just reduce how many opioids physicians prescribe. We need to be able to offer patients evidence-based alternatives. Yet for that to happen, we must also better understand the fundamental nature of chronic pain, which is as much an emotion we feel in our minds as it is a physical sensation experienced by our body. Acceptance and commitment therapy and exercise are both safer and more effective for chronic pain than opioids, which can actually increase how much those with chronic pain hurt.
Los Angeles Times - Jan. 24, 2023
Books and Movies
‘To Live and Die and Live’ Review: Slice-of-Life Addiction Drama Is the Cinematic Portrait Detroit Deserves
Sundance: Qasim Basir's story of death and addiction in a city on the rise is the kind of nuanced, stereotype-free portrayal of Detroit that has evaded Hollywood for far too long. Qasim Basir’s portrait of a successful filmmaker returning to Michigan to bury his stepfather while he battles old ghosts is a small, often tragic human story — and certainly shouldn’t be misconstrued as a simple “love letter” to the city. When we first meet Muhammed (Amin Joseph), he’s doing cocaine a few hours before his stepfather’s funeral. An up-and-coming director who left Detroit for the bright lights of Los Angeles years ago, he’s a man of few words who would much rather drink away his problems than talk about them.
IndieWire - Jan. 27, 2023
John Mulaney review – upbeat tales of addiction and downfall
Rare is the reputational reversal as complete as John Mulaney’s, who in short order these last two years went from being comedy’s happily married Mr Nice, via rehab for cocaine addiction, to a divorce and new relationship that sent fans into a tailspin.
The Guardian - Jan. 26, 2023