The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - February 8, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Is private equity in addiction treatment a good thing? | Contingency management: can gift cards effectively treat addiction? | How big tobacco skirts CA law on flavored tobacco
Fentanyl
Could fentanyl vaccine be a ‘game changer’? | Will safe injection sites become more common?
State and Local
OR ranks 50th for addiction treatment | Georgia lawmakers call for more $’s for peer specialists | B.C. experiments with decriminalization
Studies/Research in the News
In contrast to adults, youth drug use dropped during pandemic | 1 in 8 Americans over 50 show signs of food addiction
Opinion
Author argues shame, stigma can be positive force | Are we becoming more depressed and anxious, or just more willing to talk about it?
Books and Movies
CNN’s “American Pain” highlights twin brothers who became Florida opioid kingpins | NY public media stations to air “Overdose Epidemic” programming in 2023
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National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
National
Remaking America: Recovery High Schools And Teens Facing Addiction
Schools have spent decades trying to prevent teens from using drugs and alcohol. The Office of National Drug Control Policy spent $2.9 billion on drug prevention last year alone, but the success rates of prevention programs remains in question. 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
‘You Can’t Be Super Fat And Do Drugs’: Tom Arnold Warned Chris Farley Before He Died
Actor Tom Arnold said that he warned the late actor and comedian Chris Farley about his drug use — especially coupled with his weight — staging an intervention and telling him at one point, “You can’t be super fat and do drugs.”
Daily Wire - Feb. 5, 2023
Luxury rehab centres now offer therapy for 'crypto addiction'
The pandemic and a volatile crypto market have spurred a trading frenzy in digital currencies. And now, luxury rehab centres are cropping up around the world, promising to treat "crypto addiction".
BBC - Feb. 4, 2023
Can gift cards help someone quit an addiction?
“Contingency management” is a practice that rewards people with vouchers or gift cards for not engaging in behaviors they’re trying to quit. The idea is to realign reward pathways in the brain using positive reinforcement. The practice is gaining traction as a way to help combat substance use disorder — Washington and Montana are both working to incorporate contingency management into state treatment programs, and California is set to launch a pilot program that covers it as a Medicaid benefit.
Oregon Public Broadcasting - Feb. 3, 2023
Big tobacco is lighting the law on fire to peddle addiction
In 2020, the California legislature passed a law prohibiting the tobacco industry from selling flavored products, which are used to lure children. The industry waged a campaign and lobbied ferociously against the bill — and failed. It then sponsored a ballot question to overturn the law and lost again, by a nearly 2 to 1 margin. But the industry still wasn’t finished: it asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the law and to reverse the will of the people. Again, it lost. Rather than selling products labeled menthol or mint, R.J. Reynolds now calls them “fresh” and “crisp.” The tagline on the ads promoting these products is: “California, We’ve Got You Covered.” Gee, what could that possibly mean?
The Hill - Feb. 2, 2023
Innovation, investment in pain and addiction are not meeting the societal burden, report says
With nearly all experimental pain and addiction drugs failing to make it out of the clinic over the past five years, it’s not hard to see why pharma has been resistant to drug development in this area. A new report from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) catalogs the dearth of investment in new nonaddictive drugs to relieve pain and addiction despite an obvious unmet need.
Fierce Biotech - Feb. 2, 2023
New report highlights lack of investment in addiction cures
There are about as many Americans living with addiction as there are Americans living with cancer — but you wouldn’t know it based on the world of venture capital. In the past decade, investment firms have poured roughly 270 times more money into developing cancer drugs than addiction cures, according to a new report from BIO, the biotechnology industry trade group. When it comes to opioid addiction in particular, there’s a simple reason for the lack of investment, according to David Thomas, BIO’s vice president of industry research: There aren’t many potential new drugs to invest in.
STAT News - Feb. 2, 2023
Medication for opioid addiction is getting easier to access
A pandemic experiment in America is about to be made permanent.
The Economist - Feb. 2, 2023
Flavor Flav Confesses He Spent $2,600 A Day On Drugs For Six Years Before Getting Sober
Rapper Flavor Flav has revealed his partying days and drug use cost him up to $2,600 a day during his Jan. 25 appearance on the Spotify podcast, Off the Record, with DJ Akademiks. Flavor Flav also revealed that he has been sober for 15 years and hopes to set a good example for the youth.
Hollywood Life - Jan. 31, 2023
Private equity investment is flooding into addiction treatment. Is that a good thing?
Private equity has found its way into much of the American economy in recent decades, with rapid moves into health care. Addiction treatment — now seen as a big moneymaker — has become a prime investment target because of the ongoing opioid overdose crisis and improved health insurance coverage. As with many corporate takeovers, the ride can be bumpy. But in this case, those affected are especially vulnerable.
Marketplace - Jan. 25, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Comments
Fentanyl
Potential fentanyl vax, test kits could combat opioid deaths
Researchers at the University of Houston are developing a new vaccine that may prevent fentanyl addiction – a primary contributor to tens of thousands of synthetic opioid-related deaths.
NY Post - Feb. 5, 2023
Tracking the opioid crisis: Inside the DEA’s secret lab
CNN was granted rare access to the secret lab where the DEA tests seized illicit drugs to understand what’s coming next. “The market is constantly changing, so we are trying to do everything we can from a science base to keep up with that,” Scott Oulton, deputy assistant administrator of the DEA’s Office of Forensic Sciences, told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Holding a white bag of fentanyl precursor powder – one of the chemicals used to make the opioid – Oulton explained that the illicitly made painkiller continues to be a dominant presence in the drugs officials are finding.
CNN - Feb. 3, 2023
Fentanyl vaccine poised to be ‘game changer’ in fight against addiction
University of Houston researchers say they've developed a fentanyl vaccine that essentially cures addiction. The end to the fentanyl crisis may be in sight, thanks to a team of researchers in Texas who claim they have successfully developed a vaccine that could be a "game changer" in addiction treatment.A team led by the University of Houston has developed what they say is a fentanyl vaccine that can block the synthetic opioid from entering the brain — essentially curing addiction by eliminating the euphoric high.
Fox - Feb. 2, 2023
Safe Injection Sites Have Gained a Foothold in the U.S. Are More on the Way?
Also known as supervised consumption sites, safe injection sites or overdose prevention centers, the concept of offering a place where people can use drugs obtained elsewhere while being monitored to prevent a fatality has been around for years outside the U.S., with approximately 200 sites operating in more than a dozen countries, according to advocacy group the Drug Policy Alliance. Efforts to launch supervised consumption sites have been met with opposition from neighboring residents and public officials who have argued such sites sanction drug use and lead to an increase in other illegal activity.
U.S. News and World Report - Feb. 2, 2023
If fentanyl is so deadly, why do drug dealers use it to lace illicit drugs?
With its high death rate, why would drug dealers lace drugs with fentanyl, effectively killing off their potential customers? According to experts, there are many reasons fentanyl has become such a widely used illicit drug, despite its high overdose potential. Done correctly, lacing illicit drugs with fentanyl often creates a return stream of customers because fentanyl is considered highly addictive. This is why fentanyl is often found in drugs like cocaine, counterfeit Xanax, counterfeit Adderall, or other drugs not classified as opioids. A fraction of fentanyl could mimic the highs of other opioids, like heroin or prescription painkillers. Dealers will often use simple binding agents and a small amount of fentanyl when making counterfeit opioid pills or what they say is heroin, according to law enforcement. Because a smaller dose has a similar effect relative to other opioids, it is also easier to smuggle.
ABC - Feb. 1, 2023
Overdose prevention campaign criticized for advocating further drug use: 'Do it with friends'
One poster from Harm Reduction Coalition urges drug users to 'change it up' by 'ingesting or smoking instead of snorting'. A New York-based group with a specific focus on drug abuse and overdose awareness in one of the most populous cities in California is facing pushback for one of its campaigns that encourages users to continue using drugs in ways that could benefit their personal health.
Fox - Jan. 31, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
State / Local
Kentucky attorney general launches initiative to fight fentanyl after 2K residents die from drug overdose last year
Kentucky plans to engage with local communities to hear how they’ve been impacted, take steps to overcome the opioid epidemic. "Operation Fight Fentanyl is our newest effort to attack the opioid epidemic by engaging with communities across the Commonwealth to hear how they’ve been impacted by this deadly drug and what steps we can take to beat it," Cameron said. Last year, 2,250 Kentucky residents died from overdoses, with fentanyl detected in more than 70% of those cases, according to a state Overdose Fatality Report.
Fox - Feb. 2, 2023
Oregon ranks 50th in the US for providing access to addiction treatment; recovering addicts want better resources
Nearly 100 Oregonians rallied outside the state Capitol on Wednesday for better addiction and recovery treatment options across the state. "I'd love to see quicker access," said Faye Cooper a recovering addict. "More beds available to those that need them, and more support for culturally specific programs." Oregon currently has the second-highest untreated addiction rate in the country. The state also ranks last in the nation in providing addiction treatment access. Many people seeking treatment wait weeks for a bed to open up. State representatives are hoping for that to change soon.
KGW 8 - Feb. 1, 2023
Pennsylvania: A behind-the-scenes look at Spotlight PA’s analysis of 1 million medical marijuana certifications
The Pennsylvania Department of Health sued Spotlight PA in an attempt to keep data on qualifying conditions secret, but a court ruling in favor of the newsroom forced their release. For Spotlight PA’s latest investigation into Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program, we analyzed more than 1 million records of anonymized patient certifications — data the newsroom obtained after a 15-month legal battle with the state Department of Health. These certifications allow hundreds of thousands of patients to legally use cannabis in the state. Our analysis offers the first comprehensive look at how the decision to add anxiety disorders as a qualifying condition transformed Pennsylvania’s program, and, in the eyes of some, made it possible for basically anyone to get a medical marijuana card.
Spotlight PA - Feb. 1, 2023
Michigan: Michigan could get $1.45B in opioid settlements: Which companies are paying the most
Michigan has signed onto settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, that will bring more than $1 billion to the state to deal with the epidemic — and keep people dying from overdoses. That money is flowing into Michigan, and a large portion will ultimately go toward prevention, treatment and harm reduction programs. How much is Michigan set to receive from these settlements, what is that money to be used for, and will it help people living with addiction?
Detroit Free Press - Feb. 1, 2023
Illinois cannabis sales remain strong in 2022
With an array of products, legal cannabis dispensaries are getting Illinois marijuana consumers to dump their illegal dealers and buy retail. About 113 dispensaries now operate across the state, leading to booming adult use cannabis sales in Illinois. In 2022, legal cannabis sales totaled $1.5 billion, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said.
Washington Examiner - Feb. 1, 2023
Georgia: Addiction recovery advocates want lawmakers to budget more for peer support specialists
Representatives from 40 organizations that make up the Substance Use Disorder Policy Partnership met with lawmakers at the Capitol to advocate for more resources for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery. The people in attendance during Addiction Recovery Awareness Day Jan. 24 represented more than 1 million Georgians, their families, and the professionals who provide substance misuse services. Both Attorney General Chris Carr and Gov. Brian Kemp spoke in favor of bipartisan solutions to the opioid epidemic and behavioral health services.
Georgia Public Broadcasting - Jan. 31, 2023
New York: Governor Hochul Announces $5.25 Million to Support Addiction Prevention Services in High-Need Communities
Federal Funding Will Allow Six Providers to Establish Substance Use and Prevention Coalitions to Focus on Delivering Services to High-Need Populations. Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $5.25 million in awards to establish six substance use and prevention coalitions across New York State. Administered by the State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the funding will enable recipients to focus prevention efforts on priority populations; including Black, Indigenous and people of color; veterans; older adults, individuals with disabilities, and youth with a history of incarceration or other contact with the criminal-legal system.
Office of Governor Hochul - Jan. 31, 2023
Missouri Republican pushes to legalize ‘magic mushrooms’ to treat depression, PTSD
The magic in “magic mushrooms” may be the ability to defeat post-traumatic stress disorder, and a St. Charles County Republican lawmaker wants to make them legal in a treatment setting. State Rep. Tony Lovasco of O’Fallon isn’t a hippie. He says he’s never taken psilocybin mushrooms or smoked a joint. “I’ve never even smoked a cigarette,” he said in an interview with The Independent. “I’m a pretty boring guy.” But he’s convinced that a growing body of research – and increasing interest from federal regulators – means Missouri should make treatment with the psychoactive mushrooms legal for people over 21.
Columbia Missourian - Jan. 31, 2023
British Columbia: British Columbia becomes first province in Canada to decriminalize heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, other hard drugs
Residents with less than 2.5 grams of the hard drugs will not be charged or arrested. One of the largest provinces in Canada is moving forward with a plan to become the first province in the country to decriminalize several hard drugs. Starting on Tuesday, residents of British Columbia who are older than 18 will be allowed to carry up to 2.5 grams of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and morphine, the BBC reported. British Columbia was granted permission by the government to try out the plan for three years, when the drugs will still be illegal but those carrying less than 2.5 grams will not be arrested, charged or have the drugs confiscated.
Fox - Jan. 31, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Studies/Research in the News
The Relationship Between Digital Game Addiction and Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction in Adolescents
It was found that digital game addiction, loneliness and social dissatisfaction decreased with age. However, this applies separately to middle school and high school groups. Because, despite their older age, high school adolescents have been found to be more digitally dependent, lonely and socially dissatisfied than secondary school students. Contrary to the studies in the literature, the risk of digital addiction, loneliness and social dissatisfaction was found to be low in those with low economic status.
Cureus - Feb. 3, 2023
Adult drug use rose during pandemic, but dropped dramatically in youth, study says
Use of marijuana and other substances dropped in teenagers during the first year of the pandemic, according to a new study. But adults' use of cannabis, illegal drugs and alcohol, including binge drinking, either stayed the same or increased compared to the two years before Covid-19. "Substance use decreased between 2019 and 2020 among those aged 13 to 20 years," wrote first author Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. However, "consistent declines were not seen in older persons other than tobacco use reductions, and cannabis use increased among adults ages 25 years and older," he and his coauthors wrote.
CBS - Jan. 31, 2023
1 in 8 Americans over 50 show signs of food addiction, U-M poll finds
Much higher percentages of possible addiction to processed food seen among older adults who are overweight or experiencing poor mental health or isolation. Whether you call them comfort foods, highly processed foods, junk foods, empty calories or just some of Americans’ favorite foods and drinks, a sizable percentage of older Americans have an unhealthy relationship with them, according to a new University of Michigan poll. In fact, about 13% of people aged 50 to 80 showed signs of addiction to such foods and beverages in the past year, the new data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging suggest.
University of Michigan - Jan. 30, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Opinion
Adam Pankratz: Maybe B.C.'s drug addicts should have to face shame and stigma
Anyone who has driven or walked down East Hastings can tell you that the lax approach to drugs has only created more suffering. B.C. has decriminalized drug possession of 2.5 grams of cocaine, MDMA, meth and opioids, including heroin. Those in favour hail it as a victory against stigma, while opponents worry it will have unintended consequences. We will leave the public policy debate to others, but will ask another very pertinent question: what’s wrong with stigma?
National Post - Feb. 6, 2023
After 15 years of reporting on opioids, I know this to be true
After more than a decade covering the opioid epidemic, I’m admittedly a bit emotionally calloused when hearing about overdoses, but the story of Melanie Ramos got to me. About a week after her death, the Los Angeles Times reported that Ramos was one of at least seven teenagers in the Los Angeles Unified School District who had overdosed from possible fentanyl-laced pills that month. Across the nation, there has recently been an alarming increase in the overdose mortality rate among teens, a shameful sign that we’re failing yet another generation as the opioid crisis enters its third decade.
CNN - Feb. 4, 2023
Can Psychedelics Solve the Youth Mental Health Crisis?
Nearly two-thirds of young adults report having either depression or anxiety. In California, Connecticut, Illinois, and other states, lawmakers are considering their options for psychedelics legalization.
The Nation - Feb. 3, 2023
Are more people depressed & anxious, or are we just getting better at talking about mental health?
Over the last decade, and especially since 2020, the knowledge that more and more people are struggling with mental health conditions has almost become rote, along with a dizzying list of interacting factors that contribute to this reality. “Willingness to talk about this stuff has changed dramatically,” said Ronald Kessler, a Harvard University sociologist whose research focuses on the social determinants of mental health conditions from an epidemiological perspective. “In the past 15 years, we have famous people going on evening talk shows, talking about their mental health struggles and suicide attempts,” he said. That would’ve been almost unfathomable in the not-so-distant past.
Los Angeles Times - Jan. 31, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Books and Movies
‘American Pain,’ Premiering on CNN Tonight, Documents Twin Brothers Who Became Florida’s Opioid Kingpins
The Sacklers of OxyContin infamy have become indelibly tied to the opioid crisis in America. But the truth is they were far from the only contributors to a drug epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in recent years. Take Chris and Jeff George, for instance. The steroid-jacked twin brothers opened their first pain medication storefront in Florida in 2007 and before long, as they put it, “We were the Disneyland of pain clinics.” Their exploits are told in the CNN Films documentary American Pain, directed by Darren Foster, which premieres on CNN tonight.
Deadline - Feb. 5, 2023
New York’s Public Media Stations To Examine Addiction and Overdose Crisis
New York’s “Overdose Epidemic” Combines Original Content, Multiplatform Resources, a Statewide Town Hall, and Kicks Off a Year of Special Programming. Mountain Lake PBS announced today that the week of February 13th will kick off a public media collaboration to examine New York State’s addiction and overdose crisis. “Overdose Epidemic” programming will draw attention to this public health crisis and raise awareness of services available in local communities for those impacted by addiction.
Mountain Lake PBS - Feb. 3, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments