The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - October 12, 2022
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Hospital addiction specialists can save lives | Narcan vending machine emptied in one day | Biden applauded for marijuana pardons
Fentanyl
Rolling Stone takes on the rainbow fentanyl myth | Fentanyl test strips becoming more widely available
State and Local
Experts weigh in on California ballot proposition to legalize sports betting | NJ lawmakers’ new opioid bill targets education, treatment | Mayor claims Dixon, IL to be recovery friendly
Studies/Research in the News
High deductible health plan enrollees receive less SUD treatment | Possible connections between brain circuit and heroin, cocaine addictions
Opinion
Ending the war on marijuana crucial for racial justice | Dr. Anna Lembke: When virtue becomes vice
Books and Movies
Addiction part of the story in The Conners Season 5 | “Our American Family” documentary focuses on addiction
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National
How an on-call addiction specialist at a hospital saved a life
Most hospitals don't have addiction specialists on call. But Salem Hospital in Massachusetts does. We hear about one patient who got addiction help after coming in for a different problem.
NPR - Oct. 9, 2022
Bill Maher High-Fives Biden for Marijuana Pardons: Pot-Smokers ‘Do Show Up to Vote’
Bill Maher got into his favorite topic – weed, to be specific – right out of the gate on Friday night’s “Real Time,” applauding President Joe Biden’s pardon of those incarcerated for simple possession of marijuana, while also getting into a heated debate with Chris Christie about Republicans who have a “hard-on for pot.”
The Wrap - Oct. 8, 2022
Narcan Vending Machine Emptied in 1 Day
A NARCAN vending machine in Kentucky was emptied out just a day after it was installed. NARCAN is a medicine that rapidly reduces an opioid overdose and if you hadn’t guessed, it’s been quite popular over the last 5 years. Well it is apparently so popular and needed in Kentucky, the first narcan vending machine was emptied out just a day after it was installed. The idea for the vending machine came after the town’s police chief saw a man be saved with narcan after he overdosed in a bathroom. He wanted to make his life-saving medicine available to those who need it without having to go to law enforcement or first responders.
Fox - Oct. 7, 2022
The link between mental health issues and substance abuse
According to the CDC, substance use disorders affect more than 20 million Americans 12 and older. Additionally, up to 50% of individuals with a mental health illness also have a substance use disorder. There’s no question that the pandemic and ensuing crises have complicated the issue even further.
Seattle Times - Oct. 7, 2022
Finding Addiction and Substance Abuse Treatment Through ATLAS
People have used an atlas to find places for a long time…but now using ATLAS, or www.treatmentatlas.org will help people find access to substance abuse treatment in Pennsylvania. ATLAS is the state’s newly launched Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment, and Standards Platform and so far, since the launch in June, about half of the facilities statewide are responding, “We have over 500 of our 800 facilities that have already joined. ATLAS gives real time, good information for people who are looking for a treatment provider to understand better what each of those providers offer and whether it will meet the needs they have.”
WKOK - Oct. 6, 2022
Public comment period open for addiction treatment standards
In preparation for a fourth edition of The ASAM Criteria, Hazelden Publishing is accepting feedback on recently posted draft standards for caring for patients with addiction or substance use disorders. “As states across the country work to improve their addiction treatment systems, they are rapidly adopting The ASAM Criteria,” R. Corey Waller, MD, MS, editor-in-chief of the fourth edition of The ASAM Criteria, said in a press release from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. “For our part, it is imperative to keep these standards updated to reflect the latest research and best clinical practices.”
Healio - Oct. 6, 2022
New tech, databases among tools to find right drug treatment
Quickly finding adequate and available programs for substance abuse disorder remains an issue in the United States, particularly in rural areas. Stakeholders are trying to close those gaps, using new technology and databases to get people the help they need, including the promotion of Shatterproof’s free and confidential Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment, and Standards Platform, ATLAS, in Pennsylvania. ATLAS, available in English and Spanish, evaluates addiction treatment facilities’ use of evidence-based best practices based on the Shatterproof National Principles of Care, includes an assessment to understand the appropriate level of care, and offers an easy-to-use dashboard to allow those in need and their loved ones to search for and compare facilities using criteria such as location, services offered, and insurance accepted so they can find the best treatment for their unique needs.
The Daily Item - Oct. 6, 2022
40 years on, Betty Ford's impact on addiction and recovery is as strong as ever
On the 40th anniversary of the opening of the first Betty Ford Center in California, Vic Vela of Colorado Public Radio takes a look at Betty Ford’s enduring legacy as the First Lady of Recovery.
NPR - Oct. 5, 2022
Telehealth addiction medication treatment could be nearing end, doctors worry
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the controlled, prescribed, FDA-approved drugs are used to curb physiological cravings and relieve withdrawal symptoms "without the negative and euphoric effects of the substance used," according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In March 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced it would grant a request by SAMHSA to allow for telehealth to be used in place of an initial visit between a patient and doctor trying to treat a substance use disorder with MAT. Doctors and licensed providers of addiction treatment had already been allowed to prescribe controlled substances for treatment only after an initial in-person visit with a patient. The current public health emergency declaration is set to expire on October 13, 2022, even though the expectation is that the Biden Administration will extend it, once again.
KATU2 ABC - Oct. 4, 2022
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Comments
Fentanyl
No Treats, Only Tricks: Republicans Try to Ruin Halloween With Fake Rainbow Fentanyl Threat
Republican senators are trying to convince parents that the cartels are in the house down the block, handing out synthetic opioids to kids A group of Republican senators has released a video warning parents that Mexican drug cartels have begun targeting children by disguising fentanyl as candy, despite actual experts claiming its bogus.
Rolling Stone - Oct. 7, 2022
As fentanyl crisis deepens, test strips alert drug users to the deadly substance
Fentanyl test strips are becoming more widely available in Minnesota as part of a “harm reduction strategy” aimed at curbing overdose deaths. The test strips were legalized in Minnesota last year when the state decided to remove them from the category of “drug paraphernalia.” The Minnesota Department of Health told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS these strips “provide people who use drugs with important information about presence of fentanyl in the illicit drug supply.” An MDH spokesperson said nearly all syringe services programs in Minnesota are now offering fentanyl test strips and education about how to use them.
KSTP - Oct. 6, 2022
Deaths of 16 from possible fentanyl poisoning prompt Hamilton County public health alert
Get Narcan, use fentanyl test strips with any drugs, and never use alone. That's the primary message in an overdose alert issued by Hamilton County Thursday after 16 people died from Sept. 30 through Wednesday. The deaths are believed to be from overdoses of fentanyl, officials said. Three people all died in the same location in an apartment on Clifton Avenue, according to Hamilton County coroner's reports. They were 33, 31 and 44. One was from Newport and the other two appear to be from the Clifton Avenue address in Cincinnati. The 31-year-old was a woman. Emergency departments also saw a surge in suspected overdoses this week, with nine on Wednesday and 10 on Tuesday, officials said.
Cincinnati Enquirer - Oct. 6, 2022
Netflix star Ava Michelle speaks out on fentanyl crisis after brother's death
‘Tall Girl’ actress Ava Michelle lost her brother in February 2021 after he died fentanyl poisoning. Now, the Netflix star is using her loss to raise awareness on the synthetic drug. On "America's Newsroom" Wednesday, Michelle shared why she decided to use her platform to call out the deadly drug. "I feel like the best thing that we can do with the hard things that we go through is share them. And I think that social media is such a powerful thing," Michelle said.
Fox - Oct. 5, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
State / Local
New Jersey: New Jersey lawmakers' opioid bill targets education, training
A bill backed by two members of Congress from New Jersey focuses on a wide spectrum of substance abuse from prevention to treatment and recovery, which a spokeswoman for the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey said is significant. U.S. Reps. Andy Kim and Mikie Sherrill say the Solutions Not Stigmas Act, first introduced in 2019 by Kim, would expand and develop education and training programs for substance use disorder prevention and treatment, a recent news release from Kim’s office said.
The Center Square - Oct. 10, 2022
Washington: WA opioid settlement to provide assistance for communities
From creating a network of community-based treatment facilities, to reaching the full vision of the new 988 system, there is no shortage of problems that need to be addressed when it comes to fixing the opioid epidemic in Washington state. Funding will be critical. The more than half-billion-dollar settlement State Attorney General Bob Ferguson secured in a lawsuit against the three top opioid distributors will help.
My Northwest - Oct. 6, 2022
Illinois: Dixon mayor proclaims city ‘Recovery Friendly’
The city of Dixon says enough is enough and declares itself a recovery-friendly community; a place that helps its residents who battle drug addictions. Dixon Mayor Li Arellano made the recovery-friendly community proclamation, which he says is the first of its kind in the U.S. He emphasizes it’s time to take a stand as the U.S. sees more than 100,000 people die from drug overdoses in the past year. “We’re very much embracing treating addiction as a medical problem.” Cities across the U.S. say drug addiction is one of their top problems and no one is immune, even in cities like Dixon, Illinois. Leaders there say they must act now to help people in the area live a life without drugs. “Part of being a recovery community is understanding that there is a pathway towards treating addiction.”
23WIFR - Oct. 5, 2022
California: Addiction experts fear the fallout if California legalizes sports betting
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could legalize betting on sports, California — with 40 million people and numerous professional teams — has been the great white whale, eluding gambling companies and casino-hosting tribal communities. At stake is $3.1 billion in annual revenue, according to one industry consulting firm. It's little surprise, then, that voters will face not one but two ballot propositions this fall aimed at capturing California's sports betting market. Although neither appears to have strong public support, gambling addiction experts are worried about one far more than the other. "You don't get addicted to full-season fantasy football; you get addicted to in-game betting," said Dr. Timothy Fong, a psychiatrist and co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. "Instead of one bet on the Rams-Chargers game, I now can make an infinite amount right from my phone."
Medical Life Sciences - Oct. 5, 2022
San Francisco Proposes Unapproved Treatment To Fight Opioid Addiction
Buprenorphine and methadone are approved by the FDA to treat addiction to some opioids, but San Francisco is proposing to study using hydromorphone as an alternative.
Kaiser Health News - Oct. 4, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Studies/Research in the News
Study: Enrollees in high-deductible plans receive less substance use disorder treatment
Enrollees in high-deductible health plans are 6.6% less likely to receive substance use disorder treatment than those without a high-deductible health plan. Having a high-deductible health plan led to 21% less health plan spending, but an increase of 14% in out-of-pocket spending. This can deter some receiving care, the researchers argued.
Med City News - Oct. 6, 2022
Human Cocaine and Heroin Addiction Is Found Tied to Impairments in Specific Brain Circuit Initially Implicated in Animals
White matter in the brain that was previously implicated in animal studies has now been suggested to be specifically impaired in the brains of people with addiction to cocaine or heroin, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Baylor College of Medicine. The study was published October 6 in Neuron.
Mt. Sinai - Oct. 6, 2022
Specific brain circuit initially implicated in animals found to be impaired in people with cocaine or heroin addiction
White matter in the brain that was previously implicated in animal studies has now been suggested to be specifically impaired in the brains of people with addiction to cocaine or heroin, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Baylor College of Medicine. The study was published October 6 in Neuron.
Medical Life Sciences - Oct. 6, 2022
Researchers seek to unravel the mystery of susceptibility to drug addiction
Why do some people become addicted to drugs and alcohol while others don’t? What role does genetics play? Which genes or networks of genes are key? Geneticists Trudy Mackay and Robert Anholt lead a team of researchers from the Clemson University Center for Human Genetics working to unravel those mysteries using Drosophila melanogaster, or the common fruit fly. The work, funded by a five-year, nearly $2.5 million grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), builds upon previous work by Mackay and Anholt to identify the genetic underpinnings of cocaine and methamphetamine consumption. The research could lay the groundwork for developing new drugs or repurposing already approved drugs to treat or prevent addiction in humans.
Clemson News - Oct. 3, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Opinion
Ending the war on marijuana is crucial for racial justice
President Biden’s historic pardon of thousands of Americans convicted of a federal crime for simple marijuana possession is a long overdue correction in the overheated war on drugs — a failed effort that has disproportionately affected Black and Brown people and wreaked havoc in communities of color.
Washington Post - Oct. 10, 2022
Anna Lembke: When Virtues Become Vices
When the behaviors we thought would make us happy don’t, we’re forced to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be. But our happiness goals are often stifled by the disease of addiction—and its complex neurochemical influence on our desires. A conversation with psychiatrist Anna Lembke helps us understand the gap between the cravings that drive us and the happiness we seek.
The Atlantic - Oct. 10, 2022
Why Biden, the squarest of presidents, is getting hip on marijuana
At a 2019 presidential primary debate, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) mocked Joe Biden for his opposition to legalizing marijuana, a position that most of the other candidates had embraced. “I thought you might have been high when you said it,” said Booker, to huge laughter from the audience as a look of discomfort and befuddlement crossed Biden’s face. Three years later, Biden, once the squarest of Democrats, has done what no previous president has done on the issue: He has offered mass pardons for those convicted of possessing marijuana. Why was the most significant presidential step toward ending marijuana prohibition taken by Biden and not, say, the considerably less square Barack Obama or Bill Clinton? Because this president’s ideological flexibility has intersected with the force of party politics and public opinion to finally move toward something that should have happened long ago.
Washington Post - Oct. 7, 2022
The case for legalizing marijuana in Maryland
In November, by supporting Maryland Question 4 and allowing adults to legally use cannabis, voters across the state can put an end to the era of failed marijuana prohibition and bring freedom and opportunity to our communities.
Washington Post - Oct. 7, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Books and Movies
Using Distance to Fight Addiction and Estrangement
“The Runner” is both a story of physical triumph and the spirit’s ability to endure. Sam has lost several people to addiction. He himself was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, and grew up in an adopted home after his birth mother left when he was eight months old. He often felt lost, he says in the film, and he struggled with depression in his teens. Running transformed him.
New York Times, Oct. 10, 2022
The Conners Season 5 Finally Gives Becky A Real Story
Becky was the most underutilized character in season 4 of the Roseanne spinoff, but The Conners season 5 is proving that she deserves a story of her own. Becky was simultaneously struggling with alcoholism and her mother’s sudden death via opioid overdose.
MSN.com - Oct. 9, 2022
In the documentary 'Our American Family,' addiction is in the blood
The boisterous clan featured in the new documentary “Our American Family” is a true reflection of Our Complicated Country in all its ragged glory. The Geraghty-Caltabiano family — mother Linda Geraghty; her second husband, Ryan Geraghty; and Nicole Caltabiano, Stephen Caltabiano and Chris Caltabiano Jr., Linda’s adult children from her first marriage — live just outside of Philadelphia, the birthplace of the United States. They talk sports at the dinner table, use Google to prove their points during arguments and eat a lot of take-out. And like millions of their fellow Americans, they are dealing with the legacy of addiction.
San Diego Union-Tribune - Oct. 7, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments