Naloxone prescriptions soar but still more needed.

The Issues

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Drug Trends

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Press Room

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Make a difference

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The Big News

Prescriptions are soaring

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for the opioid-overdose-reversing medication naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan. A new CDC report says naloxone prescriptions more than doubled from 2017 to 2018 and have increased 430-fold over the past six years. CDC officials speculate the increase may help explain the stabilization and slight decline nationally in opioid overdose deaths last year. So too could this finding in the same report: the number of high-dose opioid prescription painkillers dispensed fell to about 38 million last year, from nearly 49 million the year before. Despite the substantial progress, overdose deaths remain tragically high, and the CDC says naloxone is still way under-prescribed

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, with only one prescription for every 69 high-dose opioid prescriptions. Rural areas have the lowest dispensing rates

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Guess who’s pushing back against the plan proposed by 2,000-some cities and counties looking to send potential proceeds from a nationwide settlement of opioid lawsuits back to local governments? States

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, who—in a classic struggle over power, politics and money—say they should be leading the way. The judge, however, expressed some support

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for the proposal from cities and counties. Regardless of who wins that tug-of-war, what’s most important is that all settlement dollars from the huge pending lawsuit go to addressing addiction and not to general funds where they can get siphoned off over time.

In a sign of what opioid companies might be willing to pay, three major opioid distributors reportedly offered state attorneys general $10 billion

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to settle their portion of the national lawsuit. The AGs countered with $45 billion. The drug companies’ stocks promptly fell.

Almost 40 state attorneys general sent a letter

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to Congressional leaders this week, calling for the removal of three federal barriers to addiction treatment. They urged that 1) 42 CFR Part 2, the law governing addiction treatment records, be aligned with HIPAA, the law governing all other health records (a reform we strongly support); 2) the training requirement for buprenorphine prescribers be eliminated; and 3) the IMD exclusion, which limits residential treatment options for patients on Medicaid, be fully eliminated (another reform we’ve supported).

Finally, as the opioid crisis persists, here’s some hope we need to continue to spread: according to a new study

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, an estimated 1.2 million Americans have achieved long-term recovery from opioid use disorder.

Read more →

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This week’s featured media is the latest in our Let’s Talk podcast series, with host William C. Moyers talking to our colleague Joseph Skrajewski about the importance of equipping more medical and human services professionals with the knowledge and skills to recognize and respond to the challenges of addiction. Watch

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or listen

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.

Share: Tweet

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| Facebook

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| LinkedIn

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Cannabis

Robert L. DuPont, MD; author Alex Berenson; Jonathan Caulkins, PhD of Carnegie Mellon University; and Sally Satel, MD (pictured here), recently participated in a panel discussion at the American Enterprise Institute about the health risks and policy problems of marijuana legalization.

Watch the video →

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In Colorado, marijuana use patterns are shifting

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toward edibles and “dabbing,” though smoking the drug continues to be the most popular way to get high.

The maker of Arizona Tea is entering the market

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for vape pens and cannabis-infused gummies and drinks.

The Utah Supreme Court threw out a citizen group’s challenge

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to the Legislature’s bill replacing Proposition 2, the state’s voter-approved medical cannabis law. The Legislature’s bill is more restrictive.

If you smoke pot, your anesthesiologist needs to know

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.

Apparently, some people think the verdict is still out on whether marijuana use by pregnant women is risky. As a result, more developing babies are being exposed to marijuana

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for the sake of research.

Opioids

A new study—the same one mentioned earlier that found 1.2 million Americans are in long-term recovery from opioid use disorder—validates what we’ve discovered: that successful recovery from opioid use disorder appears to be more challenging

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than recovery from alcohol use disorder and requires more intensive medical, psychological and social support services over a longer period of time.

Our Comprehensive Opioid Response with the Twelve Steps (COR-12) treatment framework aligns with that finding. You can learn more about COR-12 on Sept. 26 when our colleagues Jordan Hansen and Stephen Delisi, M.D. (above, L to R), present on the topic as part of NAATP’s ongoing webinar series. Learn more →

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Two health policy professors pose six astute questions about the opioid crisis

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that we ought to be trying to answer. Among them: Can professionals be trusted to do the right thing? Is it possible to effectively regulate the conflicts of interest in American healthcare, including the drug industry? Why is substance misuse so common and what are the underlying factors? And, why haven’t states invested in better data and surveillance to facilitate a more rapid response to emerging epidemics?

Recovery advocate Ryan Hampton says opioid company execs should face the same fate as drug kingpin El Chapo

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, who was sentenced to life in prison.

Health officials in Minnesota have declared a hepatitis A outbreak

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among people with high-risk factors, including drug use.

The National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws announced the release of two updated model laws

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related to warm hand-offs and naloxone access.

The federal Office of Inspector General released a report

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detailing its review of the opioid response in eight states: Washington, Nevada, Utah, Nebraska, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, and New Hampshire.

Nice to see opioid-related deaths down in Kentucky

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, where we’ve done a lot of training and consultation work in recent years.

Friends of Recovery New York has made it easy to send a letter

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to Governor Cuomo urging him to sign legislation to remove prior authorizations of all forms of MAT in Medicaid.

Scotland is now being called the “drug-death capital of the world

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.”

A&E’s television show Intervention will be focused on Philadelphia’s opioid crisis throughout its entire new season, which kicked off Tuesday. Many see it as another exploitative

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turn for the show. We tend to agree.

Here’s how the Washington Post was able to get access

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to the secret DEA database that revealed the manufacture and distribution of opioids across all 50 states over several years. Reporters everywhere have dug into the information. For example, in Minnesota, we now know nearly 1 billion pills

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flooded into the state at the height of the crisis.

Alcohol

With one in 10 older Americans binge drinking, according to a new study, doctors should be screening all older patients for alcohol use and educating them about how alcohol affects us differently as we age. Learn more →

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As we embark on a five-year study with Mayo Clinic to learn more about the medicine acamprosate

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and how it helps diminish alcohol cravings in some people, Yale researchers recently published a study that expands knowledge of another medicine, naltrexone

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, that also helps some people with cravings. Exciting stuff!

Diageo, the world's biggest spirits firm, has moved further into non-alcoholic drinks

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after securing a majority stake in "game-changing" alcohol-free "spirit" Seedlip.

Non-alcoholic drinks are normally reserved for the end of the cocktail menu, but some forward-thinkers are now moving them to the top

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Alcohol companies are trying to win back millennials, who are drinking less, by touting the wellness benefits of their booze

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. I say good luck – young folks are smart and loathe nothing more than corporations preying on them with phony marketing.

Health Care Reform and Parity

Our own Emily Piper will speak about parity progress and opportunities Wednesday, Aug. 14, at the Minnesota Alliance of Rural Addiction Treatment Programs annual conference in Willmar, Minnesota. Learn more →

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Administration officials say the President is weighing whether to unveil in September a plan to overhaul

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the nation’s health-care system.

A recent survey

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found that 59% to 76% of Americans believe it’s more important for policymakers to improve our current healthcare system than to invest time devising a new government health plan. Additionally, 61% to 78% of voters noted they want a presidential candidate who will focus on enhancing our current healthcare system.

Advocate Spotlight

In the wake of hazelfest 2019, alt-weekly City Pages profiled five sober Minnesota musicians (four of whom have appeared at hazelfest, including Lydia Liza, pictured here, who performed at last weekend’s event). Learn more →

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Fellow Twin Cities advocate Pearl Evans and I dialogued this week about a topic I’ve been discussing a lot lately with others: How to spotlight more recovery advocacy being done by people of color and indigenous communities? There is a lot of room for growth on this, and I invite you readers to please share with me news, issues, policies, anecdotes and activities that include or affect people of diverse backgrounds. These communities are greatly under-covered in the news, and I would like to feature them much more. In Pearl’s and my dialogue, for example, we talked about the great collaborative work my friend Marc Johnigan is doing with his recovery community organization, Twin Cities Recovery Project; the work Pearl herself did in supporting Minnesota’s landmark opioid stewardship fee legislation; the peer recovery work of Donna Washington and the leadership of James Cross at the Minneapolis Navigation Center. All are great examples—among many others—of people of color and indigenous communities contributing to recovery advocacy in Minnesota. That’s only the tip of the iceberg in just one state. With African Americans and Native Americans experiencing higher rates of overdose in many states, as well as the disparities in care that we need to eliminate, your/their voices are critically important. Again, please help me by sharing content that helps fill this need. And thank you Pearl for reaching out!

Miscellaneous Musings

A young Kansas woman who lost her father to suicide is turning her personal tragedy into a commitment to helping others, using billboards and newspaper ads to send messages of affirmation.

Learn more →

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Pediatricians say racism can have devastating long-term effects on children’s health

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, increasing the likelihood of substance use and misuse, among many other things.

New meditation app designed for people of color

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In our hyper-connected world, many Americans—especially the youngest, oldest and most rural among us—suffer paradoxically from isolation and loneliness. One solution—shown to reduce many risks, including the risk of substance use—appears to be pairing young people with older mentors

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Take a 47-second glimpse at highlights from hazelfest 2019

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n a new interview with the Washington Post, the President reflects

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on his late brother’s struggle with alcoholism.

S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced a bill this week that aims to ban “addictive” social media features

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Meth seizures

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continue to surge.

The FDA’s crackdown on tobacco marketing to children continued this week, with warning letters to four companies

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covering 44 flavored e-cigarette and hookah products.

The FDA also is investigating 127 reports of seizures after vaping

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National Recovery Month (September) is right around the corner. Among the many activities we’ll be engaged in will be our annual kickball tourneys in Chicago (Aug. 31)

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and Little Canada, Minn. (Sept. 29)

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. Yes, kickball!

In the rich and robust Twin Cities recovery community, The Recovery Church

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is among the vital and most unique assets. Now, there’s another church with a similar mission: the Recovering Love Church

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The Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery is teaming up with police and a hospital to get people who are caught with small amounts of legal drugs help, rather than handcuffs

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A new study

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found elevated risks of death (due to suicide, unintentional injuries and natural causes) for people with both a substance use disorder and ADHD.

A Massachusetts sheriff says a controversial involuntary commitment law for addiction treatment

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is working well at his jail/medical facility.

Another thought-provoking blog post this week from William White, who tells a parable about two extreme addiction treatment personalities, Hubris and Humility

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, and asks treatment center operators to consider where their organization fits on the Hubris to Humility spectrum. Also this week, White posted an excerpt from his excellent book, Recovery Rising, entitled: The Case of the Missing Joint

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—a reflection on school-based prevention strategies.

Trivia question: In what state is the big multi-district opioid lawsuit pending? Send me the answer and win a fancy advocacy pen!

What else do you think? Send me a note, and have a great week!

Photo Highlights

William C. Moyers, host of our “Let’s Talk” podcast series

“Let’s Talk” guest Joseph Skrajewski

Four finalists from NBC’s “The Voice”—(L to R) Nicholas David, Jesse Larson, Kat Perkins and Chris Kroeze—on stage together for the first time at hazelfest 2019

William White speaking at Bloomington (Ill.) High School in the early 1970s

Taryn Strong, co-founder of She Recovers, leading a yoga group at the recent She Recovers “Creating Connections” tour stop in Nashville. We are sponsoring the tour. Next stop: Seattle on Sept. 14!

(L to R) Our outreach manager Kim Becker; alumni relations manager Carla Fremlin; Dawn Nickel, co-founder of She Recovers; Taryn Strong, co-founder of She Recovers; and Kelly Gieser, our executive director of development

Hazelden Betty Ford:

Est. 1949

Jerry and Elizabeth Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s, who helped scoop ice cream at our recent Summer Picnic in Chicago, where one young boy was overheard exclaiming, “I just met the man who invented ice cream!”

Please share questions, thoughts and ideas. Plus, follow us on Twitter

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for daily updates.

Jeremiah Gardner

Director, Communications and Public Affairs

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

1-651-213-4231

tel:1-651-213-4231

LinkedIn

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ISSUES WE CARE ABOUT

Industry Reform

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| Fighting Addiction Stigma

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| Opioid Epidemic

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| Access to Treatment

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| Marijuana Education

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| Criminal Justice Reform

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| Alcohol Prevention

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Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

15251 Pleasant Valley Rd.

PO Box 11 RW19

Center City, MN 55012-0011