The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - May 1, 2024
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Democrats urge DEA to reclassify marijuana | After restrictions removed, why aren’t more receiving life-saving medications for opioid use disorder?
State and Local
California methadone bill would remove restrictions to access | How Los Angeles County is trying to transform addiction treatment
Studies/Research in the News
Study finds two medicines for opioid use disorder could help with gambling | Use of buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder has changed little since the “X-waiver” was removed
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National
Mexico's chief detective apologizes for 'inadequate' remark about country's fentanyl production
The head of Mexico’s Criminal Investigation Agency has apologized for his statement characterizing Mexico as "the champion" of fentanyl production. His comments contradicted President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's previous denial of fentanyl production in Mexico. Mexico has seen significant seizures of methamphetamine, including a recent one in Quiriego, Sonora, where over 45 tons were confiscated.
Fox - April 26, 2024
Democrats urge DEA to end delay, 'swiftly' reclassify status of marijuana
Twenty-one congressional Democrats sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration on Thursday, urging officials to "swiftly" reschedule marijuana's drug status. The letter, penned by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif., was sent to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
UPI - April 25, 2024
More doctors can prescribe a leading addiction treatment. Why aren't more people getting help?
It’s easier than ever for doctors to prescribe a key medicine for opioid addiction since the U.S. government lifted an obstacle last year. But despite the looser restrictions and the ongoing overdose crisis, a new study finds little change in the number of people taking the medication. “People think this is a very complicated medicine and that it requires some sort of complex knowledge to use, when that’s just not the case,” said Dr. Ryan Marino of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland who has treated hundreds of people with buprenorphine. Barriers include insurance hurdles, price, pharmacies that don’t stock the drug and doctors who believe patients with addiction take up too much time, Chua and other experts said.
AP - April 24, 2024
Opioids Came for Country Music. It’s Fighting Back
Drugs never seemed like a problem to Elvie Shane. Dabbling in cocaine, meth, and heroin were all part of the future country singer’s college days in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Even when he got hooked on speed, the dangers didn’t seem real. He could take it or leave it, he figured, a good time for whenever he had the money. He’s not alone in the country world in opening up about addiction. Grammy-nominated singer Jelly Roll explored his past as a drug user and dealer in songs like “Save Me” and in the Hulu doc of the same name.
Rolling Stone - April 23, 2024
State / Local
California is joining with a New Jersey company to make a generic opioid overdose reversal drug
California will soon begin selling its own generic version of Narcan — the drug that can save someone’s life during an opioid overdose — under a deal announced Monday by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom as part of his effort to offer less expensive, state-branded options of medication.
The Hill - April 29, 2024
California: Methadone Bill Would End California’s Highly Restrictive Ways
Currently one of the most restrictive states, California could become a leader in methadone access under legislation proposed by a San Francisco Democrat. “With thousands of Californians losing their lives annually, it is utterly maddening that we would withhold one of the most powerful addiction treatments from those who desperately need it,” Assemblyman Matt Haney, author of the bill, said in a press release last week. Assembly Bill 2115, introduced in February, would allow doctors to prescribe up to 72 hours’ worth of take-home doses of the “highly effective” drug and would increase the amount a patient can take home from a clinic, avoiding the need to line up daily for dosing, according to an April 4 press release.
Epoch Times - April 25, 2024
California Democrats embracing drug-free housing as a solution to homeless crisis
In the face of persistent homelessness, Democrats are embracing more drug-free housing policies even though such ideas have often been viewed as antithetical to “housing first,” long the bedrock concept of liberal homeless policy. The dynamic was on display at the Capitol Wednesday morning, when lawmakers voted to advance a bill by Assembly Member Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, that would allow drug-free housing programs to compete for state funding. Under the state’s current “housing first” rules, drug-free or sober housing facilities can’t receive state funds. The rules are intended to prevent people from being denied housing because of a drug addiction, but Haney said they limit housing options for homeless people who are trying to avoid drugs.
San Francisco Chronicle - April 25, 2024
Ohio House passes bill with harsher drug, human trafficking penalties
A proposal to boost the penalties for human and drug trafficking cleared the Ohio House on Wednesday by a 80-13 vote. Introduced last June by Reps. Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) and D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron), House Bill 230 would recategorize the felony classifications for trafficking certain amounts of drugs, such as cocaine, fentanyl or heroin. Harsher penalties come with the state’s potential reclassifications.
Ideastream - April 24, 2024
California: How L.A. County is trying to remake addiction treatment — no more ‘business as usual’
Across the country, more than 48 million people had a drug or alcohol use disorder, according to the latest results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Only 13 million received treatment in the previous year. Among those who did not get treatment, roughly 95% said they did not think that they should. “We can’t just take the approach that we’ve been taking and kind of assume that everyone wants the services that we offer,” said Dr. Gary Tsai, director of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Control division at the L.A. County Department of Public Health. “That’s just not the reality.”
Los Angeles Times - April 23, 2024
Studies/Research in the News
Two medicines for opioid addiction also help with compulsive gambling
Medicines called nalmefene and naltrexone usually help people who are addicted to opioid drugs, but they have also shown promise for compulsive gambling. The finding suggests there may be similar brain circuits involved in behavioural addictions as those that cause drug addiction.
New Scientist - April 26, 2024
Drug, alcohol abuse goes untreated in many ex-prisoners
Most ex-cons are unlikely to receive substance use treatment following their release from prison, even though odds are high they are struggling with addiction, a new study finds. National estimates suggest as many as 85% of inmates leave prison with some form of substance abuse problem, researchers said. But only 17% of ex-cons on Medicaid in Virginia have been diagnosed with substance use disorders, and even fewer have been prescribed addiction-fighting medication, investigators found.
Medical XPress - April 25, 2024
Ozempic-Like Drugs Could Help Manage Addiction to Drugs And Alcohol
Semaglutide (sold as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus) was initially developed to treat diabetes. It works by stimulating the production of insulin to keep blood sugar levels in check. Recently, there has been growing interest in another possible use: to treat addiction. More than 30 different pre-clinical studies have been conducted. The majority show positive results in reducing drug and alcohol consumption or cravings. More than half of these studies focus specifically on alcohol use.
Science Alert - April 25, 2024
It's easier now to treat opioid addiction with medication—but use has changed little, study finds
"X waiver," was eliminated on January 12, 2023, due to an item in a major federal budget bill. This meant that suddenly, any clinician who had a license to prescribe controlled substances could prescribe buprenorphine. Now, a new study by University of Michigan researchers looks at what happened in the year after that federal policy change. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study finds that the number of buprenorphine prescribers increased rapidly after the policy change. By December 2023, more than 53,600 clinicians prescribed buprenorphine, an increase of 11,500 over December 2022.
Medical XPress - April 24, 2024