The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - April 3, 2024
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
NOTE: Sober Linings Playbook is a personal website. Any views or opinions expressed herein belong solely to the website owner and do not represent those of individuals or organizations the owner may be associated with in a professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. This website offers no advice, products or services.
Highlights
National
Why are older Americans drinking so much? | Switzerland addressed its overdose crisis by making methadone (and in some cases, heroin) easier to get
State and Local
Michigan AG creates website to track use of opioid settlement funds | NY drug treatment providers ask state to declare addiction emergency
Studies/Research in the News
Study examines reasons for low use of injections for opioid use disorder treatment | Is cocaine vaccine on the horizon?
Opinion
The Hill: Addiction treatment in prison is crucial component of addressing opioid crisis | Colorado needs to hold alcohol industry accountable for high social and financial cost of addiction
Add a Comment
Have a comment about a story? A suggestion about changes to the Wednesday Weekly format? Did we miss an important story? Leave a comment. Anonymous comments welcome.
National
Why Are Older Americans Drinking So Much?
The pandemic played a role in increased consumption, but alcohol use among people 65 and older was climbing even before 2020. Public health officials are increasingly alarmed by older Americans’ drinking. The annual number of alcohol-related deaths from 2020 through 2021 exceeded 178,000, according to recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: more deaths than from all drug overdoses combined.
New York Times - March 31, 2024
Jason Biggs Recalls How He Used to Hide Alcohol Addiction From His Wife, Jenny Mollen
Jason Biggs is opening up about his past battles with alcohol, revealing he used to hide his addiction from his wife, Jenny Mollen.
Hollywood Reporter - March 28, 2024
Addiction recovery program for first responders, veterans hopes to "save a million lives"
The Recovery Center of America (RCA) in Westminster, Massachusetts is an inpatient alcohol and drug addiction treatment facility that's saving lives. The RCA has a program called RESCU that's specifically set up to help first responders and military veterans with recovery. "The need for privacy, security and confidentiality, is really important for members of that community. They are entering into treatment and they know that their identity is safe," Whitridge told WBZ-TV. "Furthermore, the actual clinical programing itself is designed around unique traumas that people in the first responder community experience." The program is run by first responders.
CBS - March 28, 2024
She wants to hand out clean syringes to save lives. But is it legal?
Botteicher founded the nonprofit, FAVOR ~ Western PA, in this rural pocket of the Allegheny Mountains, east of Pittsburgh. For each of the past several years, the nonprofit's home county of Westmoreland has seen more than 100 drug overdose deaths, the majority involving fentanyl. Many studies have identified public health benefits associated with syringe-exchange services. But for Botteicher, providing clean syringes could put her in legal danger. Under Pennsylvania law, it's a misdemeanor crime to distribute drug paraphernalia. The state's definition includes hypodermic syringes, needles, and other objects used for injecting banned drugs.
NPR - March 27, 2024
Canada: Bill on forced addiction treatment will include evaluation process, minister says
New Brunswick's public safety minister says there'll be a medical evaluation process as part of new legislation to force some people with severe addictions into treatment against their will. Premier Blaine Higgs's comments on Tuesday about the pending bill, the Compassionate Intervention Act, sparked criticism from housing advocates and addiction experts. University of New Brunswick Saint John associate professor Julia Woodhall-Melnik, who researches housing issues, said the government is heading in a dangerous direction with talk of forcing people into treatment. "People are unhoused for multiple different reasons, and it's patronizing to say, as the government, 'we know what's best for you so just let us deal with your problems.'"
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - March 27, 2024
Switzerland had a drug overdose crisis. Then it made methadone easy to get
At Arud Centre for Addiction Medicine, a leading Swiss clinic, all patients in need of addiction care are given instant access to weeks’ worth of medication. They are not required to participate in counseling, or subjected to drug tests, or punished if they relapse and use illicit substances. It is a strategy that many American methadone clinics warn would result in disaster — but that European experts say is the continent’s key to success.
STAT - March 26, 2024
Should we treat addiction with psychedelics?
Despite promise of success stories from patients in recovery, Law School panel cautions that research is lacking on benefits vs. risks.
Harvard Gazette - March 22, 2024
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Comments
State / Local
California is making fentanyl test strips free to organizations. How to get a kit
In an effort to slow the proliferation of synthetic opioid-related deaths, California will begin offering free fentanyl-testing strips to eligible organizations across the state that ask for them, the state Department of Health Care Services announced Thursday. The tests will be made available through the state’s Naloxone Distribution Project, a network of organizations that ships naloxone (commonly sold under the brand name Narcan) — a medication that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose — for free to first responders, schools, harm reduction organizations, tribal entities and public health agencies. The project is funded through state general funds and legal settlements.
Los Angeles Times - March 29, 2024
Washington: Inslee signs bills combating fentanyl, opioid addiction in Washington state
Washington state now has more tools to deal with fentanyl addiction in the form of a pair of bills sponsored by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale, that were signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee. House Bill 2396 and House Bill 1635 were signed into law on Tuesday. HB 2396 creates an outreach educational program on the dangers of fentanyl and requires jails that release individuals from custody struggling with addiction to provide information about treatment programs related to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The other bill sponsored by Mosbrucker, HB 1635, calls for the creation of a model program for the training and certification of fentanyl-detecting dogs in the state by July 1, 2025.
Everett Post - March 29, 2024
South Dakota Governor wants to speak with Tribal Nations about drug addiction and violent crime
Governor Noem is requesting a meeting with the Oglala Sioux Tribe President and tribal councilmembers. In a letter sent yesterday, Noem recognized the recent violence and drug addiction problems on the reservation. This comes as the governor called for the "U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Government Accountability Office to conduct comprehensive and public audits of federal funding to South Dakota's nine Native American reservations."
WDAY - March 29, 2024
Michigan Attorney General creates web site to track opioid-settlement funds
State Attorney General Dana Nessel has launched a web site dedicated to the opioids settlement distributions to help facilitate the effective use of those funds. The web site, mi.gov/agopioids, provides a comprehensive look at the $1.6 billion Michigan is receiving over the next 16 years as part of the national settlements with several manufacturers, distributors and marketers. Half of the money is going to the state for prevention and treatment efforts, and hundreds of county and municipal governments are receiving the other half.
Macomb Daily - March 29, 2024
Alabama: Gov. Ivey awards grant for substance abuse treatment in prisons
Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $1.58 million grant to the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) to fund a substance abuse treatment program for state prisoners.
Alabama Political Reporter - March 29, 2024
Oregon: Wyden, Merkley send federal dollars to aid Oregon’s health crises
Much of a nearly $36 million for Oregon will go toward behavioral health and health care needs across the state. Oregon will get millions in federal funding to put toward health care and addiction treatment projects that stretch from the Portland region to rural communities. The funding, announced this week by U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, has cleared Congress and been signed into law by President Joe Biden. The projects range from $3 million for a statewide awareness campaign about Oregon’s 988 suicide prevention hotline to $978,000 for a center in Ontario that will assess and help people in behavioral health and addiction crises in rural eastern Oregon.
The Oregon Capital Chronicle - March 29, 2024
Minnesota launches $200 million plan to combat opioid abuse
Minnesota has put millions of dollars towards reducing opioid overdose deaths in the state. The director of the Minnesota Office of Addiction and Recovery, Jeremy Drucker, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the state has committed $200 million to combat a rise in overdose deaths connected to opioid abuse because more than 1,000 people died of overdoses in 2022, which is nearly three times higher than 2018.
KAALTV - March 28, 2024
California: Where to find addiction recovery resources on Cal Poly’s campus
Mustangs for Recovery was started in 2018 to create a safe space on campus for students in recovery from addiction, according to the Mustangs for Recovery introduction video on their webpage. In the beginning, it was just a couple of students going to the meetings, but it started taking off after about a year, according to Traci Henegar.
Mustang News - March 28, 2024
Illinois: Cook County Jail's opioid addiction treatment programs SMART and THRIVE provide medication-assisted help for inmates
More than 3,000 inmates have completed SMART and THRIVE since they started. At Cook County Jail, behind locked doors, barricades, fences and razor wire, in a barren room, about 40 men sat in tan county jail uniforms, unwrapping their innermost feelings, fears and fixations.
ABC7 Chicago - March 28, 2024
Michigan: Fighting Michigan's opioid crisis with new needles, purer drugs, respect for addicts
One strategy in Michigan’s fight against opioids is ‘harm reduction’ — the acknowledgement that just-say-no doesn’t always work. In Grand Rapids, one harm reduction program tests drugs, alerting the user of what’s in the sample. The program, Red Project, has found xylazine, also known as ‘tranq,’ and deadly additives in the local supply.
Bridge Michigan - March 27, 2024
New York: Drug treatment providers ask NY to declare addiction emergency
Treatment providers and lawmakers are urging New York officials to declare an “addiction state of emergency,” citing an ongoing overdose epidemic that continues to ravage communities across the state. Treatment providers and family members have urged greater workforce investment and making access to drug treatment easier.
Times Union - March 27, 2024
Studies/Research in the News
Study examines facilities' low use of monthly injections for treating opioid addiction
Compared to taking a daily pill, a monthly dose of long-acting injectable (LAI) buprenorphine can be a simpler and more effective treatment for people with opioid use disorder. But do substance use treatment facilities in the United States take advantage of this highly effective medication? Researchers from the University of Chicago spent nearly a year analyzing data from the National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey. They found that only 32.6% of substance use treatment facilities that offered medications for opioid use disorder offered LAI buprenorphine to their patients. The researchers suggested that administrative obstacles make it more difficult—and often more expensive—to obtain LAI buprenorphine compared to the oral version of the medication.
MedicalXpress - March 28, 2024
Why cannabis makes some people feel very different than others
A new study led by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has explored the impact of individual variations in THC metabolism on the risk of cannabis use disorder (CUD) among young adults. The research reveals that genetic differences in the metabolic breakdown of THC, the principal intoxicating component of cannabis, could significantly affect an individual’s response to the drug and their susceptibility to CUD.
Earth.com - March 28, 2024
Cocaine vaccine: Could it help drug addicts?
Researchers in Brazil are testing cocaine vaccines to stop users getting high and prevent addiction. Experts warn a vaccine should be combined with therapy.
Deutsche Welle (DW) - March 28, 2024
DNA test says it can predict opioid addiction risk. Skeptics aren’t so sure.
Using a swab inside the cheek and a sophisticated computer algorithm, a DNA test recently approved by federal regulators promises to assess genetic risk of opioid addiction.
The Washington Post - March 25, 2024
Scientists Reveal Why Women Are More Easily Addicted to Cigarettes
While fewer women might smoke on average, previous studies have shown that women are more likely to develop a nicotine addiction and tend to become addicted more quickly with lower nicotine exposures. A newly discovered brain circuit may explain why women tend to become hooked on nicotine more quickly than men.
Newsweek - March 25, 2024
Opinion
Preventing weed smoking — not more weed shops — is what NYC needs now
Rather than further burdening police, stop focusing so much of city authorities’ attention on those ubiquitous smoke shops — and direct the OCM to do as the state does with tobacco: launch a campaign that acknowledges that marijuana is a dangerous drug and wholly discourages its use. Especially among young people.
New York Post - March 30, 2024
A recovered addict's view on decriminalisation
VIDEO - In 2023, British Columbia decriminalised the possession of up to 2.5g of some illicit hard drugs as part of an attempt to address the opioid crisis. Guy Felicella was once a drug user and is now and addiction educator. These are his views on decriminalisation.
BBC - March 30, 2024
‘Safe injection sites’ are no answer to addiction
Colorado is one step closer to becoming the second state in the nation to legalize “supervised drug consumption” sites, also known as safe injection sites or overdose prevention sites, as labeled in Colorado’s House Bill 24-1028. While persistence may be on the proponents’ side, the facts, when thoroughly considered, are not in their corner.
Independent Women’s Forum - March 29, 2024
Medicalization and the Philosophy of Addiction
Addiction medicine has brought great benefits. But it is not without limits. The specter of "medicalization" still looms. It is perhaps most clear when we consider addictions whose relationship to substances, and so to the traditional provinces of medicine, are more remote.
Psychology Today - March 29, 2024
Addiction treatment in prison is a crucial part of solving the opioid crisis
Two decades into an opioid crisis that has claimed more than 1 million American lives, policymakers are still searching for ways to reduce overdose deaths. They would do well to focus on jails and prisons. A national effort is underway to treat opioid addiction behind bars. Correctional facilities are partnering with treatment providers to start treatment programs that offer incarcerated people lifesaving medications.
The Hill - March 28, 2024
Colorado needs to hold the alcohol industry accountable for the social and financial costs of addiction
Did you know the alcohol industry paid only $55 million in taxes and fees in Colorado last year? Meanwhile, the tobacco and cannabis industries both paid upwards of $200 million. That number seems low, right? It’s by design — nationally, the alcohol industry spent almost $29 million last year in lobbying efforts to keep their profit margins wide and to ensure the impacts on their market value are minimal. Earlier this year, the Denver Post highlighted the impact of alcohol in the state of Colorado, and the countless advocates who dedicate themselves to addressing the very real harm alcohol addiction causes. The state legislature and the alcohol industry were rightfully called out because of our silence in the face of the most misused drug in Colorado — an enterprise fee is one way we can make things right.
Craig Daily Press - March 28, 2024