Humans have a relationship with addictive substances at least as old as recorded history. Alcohol consumption is well documented in ancient cultures. Chinese texts refer often to the opium poppy, and it’s a known fact that the “wisest” members of societies in India, Southeast Asia, and the early Americas used hallucinogenic substances to have spiritual visions. The basic… Read More
It’s bad news all around for those interested in seeing an end to illegal drugs. The 2018 World Drug report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime found that the global supply of heroin and cocaine is at the highest it’s ever been, and other illegal drugs, such as opioids, have been spreading not just… Read More
New Challenges Require New Approaches Glouscester, Mass. has been on the forefront of battling the opioid crisis for many years. However, even as new approaches are tried, more potent drugs are making it difficult for police and officials to make progress. Police Chief John McCarthy explains -“We’re in a position to get people into treatment, but the sad… Read More
Fighting Addiction Focuses On Behavior Change Officials in Ohio are beginning to push back against the overwhelming tide of opioid addiction. Last year Ohio launched a $200,000 campaign urging drug users’ relatives and friends and other members of the public to educate themselves about signs of an overdose and obtain an antidote. However, these types of campaigns are… Read More
Miami Dolphins Assistant Loses Job After Drug Video is Posted Miami Dolphins offensive line coach Chris Foerster resigned on Monday, just hours after a 56-second video was posted on Facebook which showed him snorting a white powdery substance. While it is unclear when or where the drug usage video was made, it went viral on social media and… Read More
Florida Mothers Arrested After Heroin Overdose with Babies Nearby On Thursday, two mothers went to a parking garage after buying $60 worth of heroin. When Schweinhart began to overdose, O’Connor called 911 but started convulsing. “Fortunately, there was a Good Samaritan nearby who saw all of this happening and took the phone from her to speak with dispatchers,”… Read More
Indiana-based Endo Pharmaceuticals is the first of potentially many pharmaceutical manufacturers to receive pressure from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove a powerful opioid from the market. FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb voiced his concern about the public wellbeing: “We are facing an opioid epidemic — a public health crisis — and we must take all… Read More
Colorado Physician Acknowledges Medical Community’s Responsibility in the Opioid Epidemic Colorado-based Doctor Adam Barkin attributes a significant amount of painkiller abuse, and thus the opioid crisis to doctors who don’t exercise enough caution prescribing the potentially habit-forming medications. “We as physicians, I think, had helped create this problem by prescribing opioids and ultimately we decided we need to be part… Read More
Appalachia is seeing an increase in Hepatitis C cases due to the prevalence of opiate abuse. CNN notes that the “hardest hit areas in terms of new infections are parts of Appalachia and rural areas of the Midwest and New England.” An incurable disease, Hepatitic C cause symptoms such as fever, stomach pain, jaundice, nausea and joint pain. “Seven… Read More
A new synthetic drug has New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and local law enforcement concerned for resident’s wellbeing. Carfentanil, a synthetic opioid can be extremely dangerous or fatal – even in the smallest dosages. “Literally a speck of it–grain of it–can be deadly,” Governor Sununu warns. CBS Boston reports, “after learning about the recent arrival of Carfentanil, a… Read More