We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction.
The St. Louis area has been flooded with a cheap new form of potent heroin, leading to a wave of overdoses, addiction and crime, The New York Times reports.
Addiction, which was a major issue leading up to the presidential primary in New Hampshire, is once again a key topic in the election, The Wall Street Journal reports.
When the prescription opioid painkiller Opana ER was reformulated in 2012 to make it more difficult to crush and snort, the change led many people to abuse the drug by injection. The resulting increase in shared needles led to a spike in cases of HIV, according to NPR.
A small number of consultants are advising families on treatment options for addiction, The New York Times reports. Their services can be very expensive. One service charges about $10,000 a year, while another charges $5,000 to $10,000 to set up an initial plan of care, and an additional $5,000 a month for close monitoring for six months.
A group in Seattle says it wants to open a site where people can use drugs under medical supervision, according to The Seattle Times. Advocates say such sites can reduce overdose deaths, HIV and hepatitis C transmissions.
A growing number of family members of people struggling with addiction are finding help through online support groups, The Wall Street Journal reports. These groups offer flexibility and real-time help, participants say.
A new study finds monthly injections of the anti-addiction medication extended-release naltrexone (Vivitrol) can significantly decrease relapse rates among people addicted to opioids. The study included 153 adults who formerly had been incarcerated and had a history of opioid dependence.
A hospital emergency room in New Jersey has started a program that treats most patients without opioids before considering using them. In the first two months, 75 percent of the 300 patients have gone through the program did not need opioids, according to the Associated Press.
President Obama on Wednesday commuted the sentences of 61 federal prisoners incarcerated for drug offenses. He has now commuted the sentences of 248 prisoners, more than the total commuted by the last six presidents combined.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, March 25- Thursday, March 31, 2016.
Changes in health care insurance with the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has left many parents wondering how to get their grown children covered and into treatment.
President Obama said Tuesday more attention is being paid to addiction as a health issue now that it is seen as an increasing threat to white communities, The Washington Post reports.
State legislatures should require doctors to use state-run databases that track patients’ history of opioid and sedative prescriptions, according to a report by the advocacy group Shatterproof. Earlier this month, the White House sent letters to governors recommending they require doctors to check the databases before prescribing these drugs, the Associated Press reports.
A new poll finds 43 percent of Americans say they have a relative or close friend with a substance use issue, and 62 percent say at least one type of substance use is a serious problem in their community, the Associated Press reports.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are testing a wearable device that may help track drug addiction relapses.
President Obama will announce his administration’s plans to improve access to drug treatment at the 2016 National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit on Tuesday, USA Today reports.
The Food and Drug Administration is urging makers of generic drugs to redesign opioid painkillers to make them abuse-deterrent, according to HealthDay.
Expanding access to Medicaid in 20 states that have not done so under the Affordable Care Act could help the estimated 1.9 million people living in those states who have a mental illness or substance use disorder, a new report concludes.
Almost all physicians who write prescriptions for opioid painkillers exceed the federally recommended three-day dosage limit, according to a survey by the National Safety Council.
A measure designed to protect babies born to mothers who used opioids during pregnancy was introduced in the U.S. House on Wednesday, Reuters reports. A similar bill moved to the Senate floor last week.
Young transgender women are more likely than the general U.S. population to be affected by mental health issues such as addiction and depression, a new study suggests.
Most teens who have gone through the juvenile detention center in Chicago have been diagnosed with drug or alcohol abuse or dependency at some point in their lives, a new study finds.
New York City officials report a large influx of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, according to The Wall Street Journal. Fentanyl is 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, March 18- Thursday, March 24, 2016.
A new study suggests many patients who are taking a high dose of opioid medication to treat chronic pain are willing to taper off their medication if they are given guidance in how to cope with pain without drugs.
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