The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - June 1, 2022
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Bipartisan NOPAIN Act paves way for non-opioid pain management | Copycat cannabis edibles
Fentanyl
NYC Council member blasts harm reduction posters | Hawaii fentanyl task force to kick off in June
State and Local
Contingency management for stimulant use disorders in Oregon | PA Insurance department emphasizes parity requirements during Mental Health Awareness Month
Studies/Research in the News
Univ. of Washington studies black/Latinx lack of access to opioid use disorder treatment (buprenorphine) | Experimental treatment blocks cravings for meth | Exploring link between poor working conditions and opioid use disorder
Opinion
The need to discuss mental health in the workplace | People in recovery from SUDs deserve safe supportive housing
Books and Movies
Netflix’s “Confessions” based on high school teacher’s struggle with addiction | Hulu series based on memoir by Sex Pistol’s Steve Jones
Podcasts
Heart of the Matter: Katie Couric interviews Elizabeth Vargas about women and drinking
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National
The kids are not all right — copycat cannabis edibles risk their safety
Copycat cannabis edibles, which have colorful packages that mimic popular snacks and candy, have come under scrutiny. Media coverage reveals an apparent rising trend of accidental ingestion by children that has led to severe symptoms, in some cases requiring hospitalization. We need a multi-pronged approach to keep copycat edible cannabis packaging from the market and out of the hands of children.
The Hill - May 26, 2022
Tentative $161.5M settlement reached in WVa opioid trial
Attorneys for the state of West Virginia and two remaining pharmaceutical manufacturers have reached a tentative $161.5 million settlement just as closing arguments were set to begin in a seven-week trial over the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday.
AP - May 26, 2022
Pain specialist not liable for patient's alleged opioid addiction
An eight-member Ramsey County jury deliberated less than two hours before determining that Dr. Samuel K. Yue and the Minnesota Pain Center were not liable for a Ham Lake man’s alleged opioid addiction.
Twin Cities Pioneer Press - May 26, 2022
Press Release: Anthem Foundation Commits $13 Million to Substance Use Disorder Programs
The Anthem Foundation, which will become Elevance Health Foundation on June 28, 2022, today announces the commitment of $13 million in grants to promote equity in mental health, particularly for people with substance use disorders. Fifteen organizations will receive $13 million over the next three years as the first round of substance use disorder grantees. Organizations include: Shatterproof, Mental Health America, Emergency Medicine Foundation, Faces and Voices of Recovery, Prevention Action Alliance, Duke University, Signature Health, Inc., Fletcher Group, Inc., Youth First, Inc., Star House Foundation, Chris Atwood Foundation, Inc., Young People in Recovery, YWCA Northeast Indiana, Inc., 3Trect, Inc. dba My Recovery Day, 24/7 Gateway LLC,.
Anthem Foundation - May 25, 2022
Nora D. Volkow, MD: The Pain Crisis, and Optimizing Addiction Care Delivery
As highlighted in previous segments of her interview with HCPLive, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) director Nora D. Volkow, MD, foresees an uphill climb in combating the exacerbation of US substance use disorder and overdose rates spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Key to addressing historic rates of addiction and overdose are remaining dedicated to treating the whole patient, and continuing to seek optimal definitions of care.
HCP Live - May 25, 2022
Bipartisan lawmakers target addiction crisis by boosting non-opioid pain management
Tens of millions of Americans are prescribed opioids like hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl each year to treat moderate to severe pain for patients following surgery or injury. But the powerful drugs run the risks of addiction, abuse and overdose. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress is trying to slash the number of opioids prescribed to patients with the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation Act, or the NOPAIN Act.
The Hill - May 24, 2022
Press Release: Alcoholics Anonymous: Two newly developed PSAsoffer a message of hope for people with a drinking problem
The messaging developed in our two new Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) Public Service Announcements (PSAs), “Sobriety in A.A.: My Drinking Built a Wall” and ”…When Drinking is no longer a party” share our experience that we in A.A. believe alcoholism is a disease that is no respecter of age, varying abilities, gender, creed, race, wealth, occupation or education. Our experience shows that anyone can be an alcoholic. And, beyond question, anyone who wants to stop drinking is welcome in A.A.
AP - May 24, 2022
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Podcasts Comments
Fentanyl
Parents Try to Keep Kids Safe From Fentanyl With Warnings, Pleas and Naloxone Training
Velvet Snow didn’t know much about fentanyl until a student at her daughter’s high school in Belmont, Calif., died last year after using a drug laced with the synthetic opioid. Then this spring, the 18-year-old daughter of one of her closest friends died of fentanyl-related toxicity. “Now I’m terrified,” says Ms. Snow, an event planner and mother of two daughters who lives in San Carlos, Calif. “You think this can’t happen to you but it can.”
Wall Street Journal - May 29, 2022
What Is Fentanyl and Why Is It So Dangerous?
The opioid crisis has only intensified as more illicit drugs have entered the market. Drug overdose deaths reached a record high in 2021, with more than 100,000 people lost to the continuing epidemic, fueled by the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl. The drug, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times that of morphine. Illicit forms of fentanyl are mainly manufactured by drug cartels in Mexico and spreading in the U.S.
Wall Street Journal - May 28, 2022
Hawaii Fentanyl Task Force will combat rising fentanyl overdose cases
Health officials at the Hawaii County Bay Clinic say fentanyl is the deadliest drug America has ever known. A tiny amount can be fatal. They partnered with other local health clinics and the county to create the Hawaii Fentanyl Task Force. The task force kicks off in June – to offer prevention methods, treatment to those who are addicted and to inform the keiki on the dangers of drug usage.
KITV 4 - May 28, 2022
NYC health department's heroin-fentanyl poster sparks anger from top City Council Republican
The NYC Department of Health placed posters in city subway cars praising [drug users] for 'using safely.' New York City councilman Joe Borelli blasted the city's health department on Friday for describing "safe" drug use as "empowering." "Don't be ashamed you are using, be empowered that you are using safely," a poster on the New York City subway quotes as testimony for overdose prevention. The poster, published by the NYC Department of Health, gives tips on using drugs safely. Advice includes using drugs in groups and testing drugs for fentanyl.
Fox - May 27, 2022
Another Erie County warning about fentanyl-laced cocaine and its link to fatal overdoses
Once again the plague of opioid and fentanyl-related overdoses is hitting hard here in Erie County. Just as health officials try to provide information about the danger and offer help to those struggling with substance abuse, prosecutors are also trying to go after dealers who are using fentanyl in the drugs they sell.
WGRZ - May 26, 2022
State/Local
Oregon: Rewards for staying off meth work, and now Oregon is poised to pay for them
Meth can be one of the toughest addictions to treat, but research shows that people who use meth are more likely to stick with treatment programs when they receive rewards for staying drug-free. It’s a method called “contingency management,” and in Oregon, it’s about to get a lot more funding.
OPB - May 28, 2022
California: No alcohol on American River: Booze ban back in Sacramento County parks for Memorial Day
Those hoping to drink on their three-day holiday weekend should be advised if you plan to be on or near the American River. Sacramento County Department of Regional Parks is prohibiting alcohol within county parks and Sherman Island. The ban has been implemented every summer holiday weekend since 2014. It includes both open and closed containers, according to the Sacramento County code. In the past, rangers have often made people pour out their alcohol.
KCRA - May 27, 2022
Luxury treatment center for women uses “new” method (Sinclair Method) to treat alcohol addiction
The Deerhaven Gardens, which focuses solely on treatment for women, is the first facility in the country to utilize what’s called the Sinclair Method, a new program in the fight against addiction. The method allows patients to drink alcohol as part of the recovery process while taking medication that removes the “high” from the drinking process.
13 News - May 26, 2022
KY getting $35M to address opioid addiction, overdoses
From the grouping of grant funds, $35.9 aims to combat addiction and support recovery statewide. An additional $3.4 million targets behavioral health services for victims of the December 2021 tornado outbreak. “These funds will allow us to help more Kentuckians suffering from addiction as well as help those who lived through the deadliest tornado outbreak in our history recuperate from the trauma they experienced,” Gov. Beshear said in a press release. The State Opioid Response (SOR) grant comes from the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SOR funding helps increase access to FDA-approved medications to treat opioid addiction, while also supporting prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services.
Spectrum News 1 - May 26, 2022
Pennsylvania: Insurance Department Reminds Pennsylvanians of Mental Health, Addiction Treatment Parity Laws
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department is highlighting its continued work to ensure that insurers operating within the commonwealth are following state and federal parity laws, allowing those faced with mental health or substance use disorders continued access to needed care.
PA Providers - May 26, 2022
West Virginia: Huntington receives donation of 500 boxes of Naloxone
In West Virginia it's critical that first responders have on hand Narcan or Naloxone which can help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose in an emergency. "Cabell and Kanawha County right now are the two highest counties in West Virginia in terms of the number of overdose deaths, and certainly across the country we've seen an increase in overdose deaths," West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute Dr. Susan Bissett said. The institute delivered 500 boxes of 8mg intranasal Naloxone to the Huntington Harmony House on Wednesday.
WCHSTV - May 26, 2022
Texas: Billboards will highlight fentanyl epidemic in SETX
Overdoes in Southeast Texas are on the rise. In Jefferson County, "DEA: Fighting on the Frontlines" reported last week that 2020 saw 50 overdose deaths. Jefferson County's fatal overdose number increased to 64 in 2021. "This isn't your normal back alley street heroin guy that you envision in your head from a TV show. These are students. These are working people that go out on weekends and have an indiscretion and take a pill from a friend," said Britt Featherston, U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Texas. This week law enforcement and elected officials drew awareness to the One Pill Can Kill campaign at a news conference in Beaumont.
KFDM - May 25, 2022
Mass. is poised to spend millions on forced addiction treatment, reigniting debate over system
As legislators seem poised to add millions of dollars in funding for involuntary commitment programs under the law called Section 35, there are concerns among legislators, public health advocates and families on the state of forced treatment here.
WBUR - May 24, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Comments
Studies/Research in the News
UW studies unequal access to treatment for opioid addiction
Opioid use disorder is an addiction crisis in the United States that has become increasingly lethal during the COVID-19 pandemic. To preserve access to life-saving treatment during the pandemic, federal drug agencies loosened requirements on physicians for treating these patients, including moving patient evaluations away from in-person exams to telemedicine. This federal policy change focused primarily on buprenorphine, a highly effective treatment for opioid use disorder and one that is much less onerous and stigmatizing than methadone, the other most common but heavily monitored treatment. With a $2.5 million National Institutes of Health grant, researchers at the University of Washington will explore one of the most important questions related to this emergency policy change: whether those changes helped with another opioid-related crisis — the unequal access experienced by Black and Latinx patients to buprenorphine.
University of Washington Medicine - May 27, 2022
New treatment for meth addiction blocks cravings
There is no FDA-approved treatment for meth addiction. But a 2021 study revealed promising results by combining two different drugs — and that treatment is now available in Portland. Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare now has eight billboards around the city advertising a “new effective addiction treatment for meth, opioids, alcohol.” What is unusual here is the use of the words “meth” and “treatment” together. That NIH study revealed a combination of naltrexone and bupropion showed success.
KOIN6 - May 25, 2022
Dangerous counterfeit drugs are putting millions of US consumers at risk, according to a new study
The Food and Drug Administration took 130 enforcement actions against counterfeit medication rings from 2016 through 2021, according to my new study published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Such actions might involve arrests, confiscation of products or counterfeit rings being dissolved. These counterfeiting operations involved tens of millions of pills, more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of active ingredient powder that could be turned into pills in the U.S. and hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. Unfortunately, with over 11,000 rogue pharmacy sites selling drugs on the internet, these actions barely scratch the surface.
The Conversation - May 25, 2022
Germany: 1 in 10 people are 'addicted' to work, study finds
From juggling multiple tasks at once, to working long hours and feeling guilty during their leisure time — excessive and "compulsive" work behavior is found throughout Germany's workforce, a new study has found. A third of the German labor force is working "excessively" and another 10% exhibit addictive working behavior, according to a new study presented on Wednesday. The representative study, commissioned by the Hans Böckler Foundation, is the first to examine workaholic behavior across all sectors in Germany — and it has found that "compulsive" work is present in all branches.
DW.com - May 25, 2022
Opioid Addiction Crisis in United States Linked to Poor Working Conditions and Unemployment
Two linked studies led by UCLA Fielding School of Public Health researchers have found strong associations between drug misuse generally and opioid misuse specifically among unemployed Americans, who were found to have a 40% higher likelihood to misuse opioids than those working 35-40 hours per week. “One critical result is that participants who were in school or involved in vocational training had lower odds of opioid misuse, demonstrating a protective role of further education and skill development in drug misuse outcomes,” Matthews said. “Overall, we found unemployment was significantly associated with opioid misuse; interestingly, short or long working hours were not.” The findings of both teams suggest a need for labor issues and work-related stress to be considered a significant part of the opioid crisis in the U.S., and for employers, workers, and government to consider joint responses, the researchers said.
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health - May 23, 2022
$2.7M Grant to UC Davis to Find New Addiction Treatments Related to Psychedelics
Evidence from human and animal testing suggests the brain-altering effects of psychedelics could be repurposed for treating addiction. Now, researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus plan to screen hundreds of compounds to discover new, nonhallucinogenic treatments for substance use disorders. The research is funded by a $2.7 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health.
University of CA, Davis - May 23, 2022
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Opinion
As an ex-heroin addict, I know getting off opioids is near impossible
I am a married, middle-aged woman, a taxpaying homeowner. As privilege goes, I have it. I knew the first time I bought heroin at age 48 that doing so probably meant the end of my life. One day I noticed the inspection sticker on my car had expired. But it cost $37 to get an inspection, and that was almost four bags of heroin. I could not afford it. Every dollar went toward my growing habit. Looks and bias may deceive, but numbers don’t lie. The United States hit a record of overdose deaths last year. And the great, gaping hole of the response to the opioid epidemic is that withdrawal is the most important aspect, and it’s barely given lip service.
Washington Post - May 27, 2022
The Unspoken Problem in the Business World
Web3, NFTs, the Metaverse. These are the buzzwords you hear about in today’s business world. But you know what isn’t talked about? Mental health. And why would it be? As a society, we have shunned those that have mental health issues, creating an almost unspoken “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Medium - May 27, 2022
Cafe Owner Helps Women Recovering from Addiction on HGTV's Home Town Kickstart Presented by People
Jodie Martin, the owner of Geaux Fresh Bistro & Bakery, employs women while they are getting back on their feet.
People - May 26, 2022
Pa. residents recovering from substance use disorder deserve safe, supportive housing
Everyone’s recovery journey is different; but for many, one of the critical stops following treatment is moving into a recovery house. Recovery houses provide direct connections to others in recovery, mutual support groups, and recovery support services to prepare individuals for their transition into a life of recovery. Being in recovery is a time to celebrate and be proud, but it’s also a very vulnerable time in someone’s life. Sadly, we’ve seen too many bad actors take advantage of that vulnerability because of a lack of recovery house standards or protections, resulting in an unknown number of substandard facilities exploiting this vulnerable population.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star - May 25, 2022
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Books and Movies
‘Confessions’ Netflix Series: What We Know So Far
Based on real-life events, Netflix will be developing a new series called Confessions, based on Jason Smith’s non-fiction 2015 article The Confessions of a Drug-Addicted High School Teacher, which chronicles his two-year stint teaching public high school in northern California.
What’s on Netflix - May 27, 2022
‘Pistol’ Tells Steve Jones’s Story. With a Touch of Showbiz.
For Steve Jones, direct has always been best. The Sex Pistols guitarist is known for rejecting what he describes as fancy “Beatle chords” in favor of a sound without frills, and for drunken retorts on prime time British television. This approach is at the fore in his 2016 book, “Lonely Boy: Tales From a Sex Pistol.” The book forms the basis for “Pistol,” a six-part series directed by Danny Boyle and arriving on FX/Hulu on Tuesday. The show stars Toby Wallace as Jones and Anson Boon as the Sex Pistols’ lead singer, John Lydon, known as Johnny Rotten.
NY Times - May 27, 2022
Rounders: Still Arguably the Best Movie About Poker
What is it about gambling that is so brutally and honestly addictive? Chance, the unknown, and the adrenaline that is rushed through us at the possibility of winning, or even losing? Or the opportunities that lie in front of you, a new life that is right under your nose? There are plenty of life lessons to be gained in Rounders, what the film does well is recreate the suspense of playing the game; the details in the skill as well as the luck that’s involved. For example, at the beginning, Mike McDermott is shown losing miserably.
Movie Web - May 26, 2022
The Walter Tevis Renaissance: On the revival of one of the most perceptive American chroniclers of addiction
Gin, bourbon, valium, weed, horse racing, nine-ball, poker, pills, petroleum, chess, sex, television, losing, winning—the novels of Walter Tevis (“The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Man Who Fell to Earth”) are queasy with addictions big and little. Tevis protagonists come in many shapes and sizes, but they’re all addicted to something and preternaturally great at something else.
The Nation - May 25, 2022
Glasgow woman's addiction to food 'greater battle to overcome than alcohol'
Glasgow-born social commentator and rapper Darren 'Loki' McGarvey has discussed behavioural addictions such food, sex, gambling and television on his BBC documentary series. Darren started off the latest, and final episode, of his show Addictions by speaking to Glaswegian Annemarie, who grew up in Easterhouse and began drinking when she was just nine-years-old.
Glasgow Live - May 25, 2022
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Podcasts: The Weekly Roundup
Heart of the Matter - BONUS EPISODE: Katie Couric interviews Elizabeth Vargas on Next Question Podcast! — The rising alcohol consumption among women
Join us for a bonus episode! Elizabeth recently joined Katie Couric for her podcast Next Question with Katie Couric to discuss the increasing use of alcohol, particularly among women, during the COVID-19 pandemic -- why women are drinking more now than ever; what factors may cause an increase in alcohol consumption; and what recovery looks like. Elizabeth and Katie also speak with two women in recovery, Khadi Oluwatoyin and Emily Paulson, who have created recovery spaces; as well as Dr. Louise Stanger who gives insight on how to support a loved one with a substance use disorder.