From Jeremiah Gardner, Advocacy <[email protected]>
Subject Recovery Advocacy Update
Date September 9, 2019 6:53 PM
  Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
  Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
Five deaths and at least 450 illnesses linked to vaping nationwide

The Issues

[link removed]

|

Drug Trends

[link removed]

|

Press Room

[link removed]

|

Make a difference

[link removed]

The Big News

State

[link removed]

and federal

[link removed]

health officials are urging people who use electronic cigarettes and other vaping products to stop while the CDC and FDA investigate five deaths from a mysterious lung illness

[link removed]

that may have affected more than 450 people in 33 states. Though the cause of the illnesses is unknown, health authorities have linked them to the vaping of cannabis or nicotine products, and say most of the cases seem to be cannabis-related. Consumer warnings emphasize

[link removed]

that people should avoid buying vaping products on the street and “refrain from using THC oil or modifying/adding any substances to products purchased in stores.” Here’s what you need to know

[link removed]

at this stage in the outbreak. Expect more news and revelations throughout the week and beyond. Now that a new substance-delivery system has been introduced and mainstreamed into the culture, it may be difficult for researchers to keep up with the different ways people will seek to use it. The expanding cannabis market; growing misperceptions about cannabis being benign; and inconsistent, insufficient cannabis regulations

[link removed]

add to the challenges.

That’s why it’s so important to drive science-based messaging like the Surgeon General’s new national advisory

[link removed]

warning teenagers and pregnant women about the well-established health risks of using marijuana. “Marijuana's increasingly widespread availability in multiple and highly potent forms, coupled with a false and dangerous perception of safety among youth, merits a nationwide call to action,” wrote Surgeon General Jerome Adams, whose advisory includes action steps for parents, parents-to-be, young people, public officials, and health professionals.

We also published a new Emerging Drug Trends report

[link removed]

highlighting a lack of robust scientific evidence to support the oft-cited claim, or hope, that increasing access to marijuana would help reduce addiction to opioids and other drugs. The report—produced in collaboration with our partners at the University of Maryland School of Public Health—aims to clear up confusion about the known science on this topic. It concludes that marijuana is not a public health solution to the opioid crisis

[link removed]

and that the strongest existing research points to marijuana use actually increasing people's risk for misusing opioids and other substances.

In other news, the Administration is in court trying to block the nation’s first supervised drug injection site from opening in Philadelphia. Here’s the latest

[link removed]

, along with a look at the legal case for and against such sites

[link removed]

.

Another presidential candidate—this time, Andrew Yang—has announced a plan to address the opioid crisis

[link removed]

. Among Yang’s priorities: decriminalization of small quantities of opioid use and possession; a quintupling of funding for treatment supported by a new tax on opioid companies; and three days of mandatory treatment for people revived from an overdose.

We’ve been sharing candidate positions on our issues regularly here, as they appear in the news. The Wall Street Journal recently reviewed candidates’ positions

[link removed]

, too, and a coalition called “Mental Health for US” published survey responses

[link removed]

from the top candidates concerning the nation’s mental health and addiction crises. The coalition is also holding a series of forums on these issues starting Sept. 27 in Des Moines

[link removed]

.

Read more →

[link removed]



This week’s featured media is the latest episode in our Let’s Talk podcast, with host William C. Moyers talking to our good friend, John Solomon

[link removed]

, an indie-rock musician now working as an addiction and mental health counselor above the Arctic Circle. Watch

[link removed]

, listen or read

[link removed]

.

Share: Tweet

[link removed]

| Facebook

[link removed]

| LinkedIn

[link removed]

Cannabis

U.S. college students are using marijuana at the highest rates in 35 years, according to a a new study published by the University of Michigan. Learn more →

[link removed]

A Massachusetts mayor has been charged with extorting marijuana companies

[link removed]

for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

As the NFL kicked off its 2019 season, a series of player-wellbeing initiatives kicked in. Each team must now retain a behavioral health clinician to be available for players at the training facility at least eight hours a week. Teams have also been told to designate a pain management specialist and monitor all drugs — including opioids — prescribed to players. In addition, the league is studying pain treatment alternatives, including cannabis, saying science will ultimately determine

[link removed]

its policy on pot.

Former House Speaker John Boehner’s drastic reversal on marijuana policy is an example of how money interests

[link removed]

are driving views on marijuana policy.

New York has begun the process of expunging the records

[link removed]

of about 160,000 people convicted of low-level marijuana crimes.

Opioids

National settlement talks with Purdue Pharma have broken down, and officials now expect the company to file for bankruptcy, leaving virtually every state and some 2,000 local governments that have sued Purdue over its role in the opioid crisis to battle it out in bankruptcy court for the company's remaining assets. It looks like the nation’s opioid cases are going to get messier. Learn more →

[link removed]

A third company—Mallinckrodt—has settled to avoid a trial

[link removed]

in an opioid lawsuit filed by two Ohio counties. Next month’s trial is expected to be a bellwether for the larger consolidated national lawsuit pending in Ohio.

Questions surround the wealth of the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, whose money is reportedly shielded in a complex web

[link removed]

of companies and trusts.

America’s opioid crisis could still get worse if fentanyl moves West

[link removed]

, according to a new analysis by RAND.

Sadly, Britain may be developing its own opioid crisis

[link removed]

, and Australia already has one

[link removed]

, as this harrowing profile of a mother and addicted son

[link removed]

highlights. Could India

[link removed]

be next?

More than 60 doctors have been formally accused of wrongdoing under the Medical Board of California’s “Death Certificate Project

[link removed]

,” which aims to hold physicians accountable for unsafe prescribing practices.

Recovery advocate Ryan Hampton, lobbyist Andrew Kessler and two others appear to have launched Opioid Settlement Community Advisors

[link removed]

, offering consulting services to jurisdictions involved in litigation against opioid companies. Hampton has appeared on national news

[link removed]

recently, sharing his views.

A toxicology report found that Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs had a mix of opioids and alcohol in his blood when he died in July at age 27. Major League Baseball and the players’ union are now expected to discuss whether to expand the league’s drug-testing program to include random screenings for opioids

[link removed]

.

A report by Cleveland.com reveals how a small-town Ohio physician became one of the nation's top opioid prescribers

[link removed]

.

The Administration announced

[link removed]

it is awarding $1.8 billion in grant funding

[link removed]

to state and local governments to bolster addiction treatment and prevention efforts. A response to the nation’s opioid overdose epidemic and broader addiction crisis, the grants follow more than $1 billion in grants awarded in September 2018 to states and communities.

People around the world observed International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31, and it was nice to see lots of local news coverage

[link removed]

around the country, raising awareness. Marguerite Ward, editor for TODAY.com, also used her national platform to share her family’s story

[link removed]

.

Former president Bill Clinton talks to experts in a new episode of the "Why Am I Telling You This?" podcast entitled “The Opioid Crisis in America: Working Together to Save Lives

[link removed]

.”

A Healthline report says there is a lack of a gender-based approach

[link removed]

to determining the differences (and treatments) for women with an opioid use disorder.

Naloxone, the medicine that reverses opioid overdoses, can now be made available at pharmacies in Washington state to anyone without a prescription

[link removed]

.

Alcohol

CBS News looks into the pervasive and problematic drinking culture on college campuses. Learn more →

[link removed]

With college classes resuming, a Colorado newspaper also took an in-depth look at the drinking culture on our campuses, with a focus on Greek life

[link removed]

.

The alcohol-enhanced seltzer White Claw, often paired with the electronic cigarettes Juul and dubbed “Juul Water” is so popular it’s running out nationwide

[link removed]

—and the internet is freaking out.

A writer for International Policy Digest posits that, “Given the high cost of both addiction and higher education, universities do well to expand sober living arrangements

[link removed]

to accommodate more students hoping to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Such dorms not only change lives for the better, but they also allow students to fully apply their gifts and achieve their academic goals.” Cheers to that!

Advocates in Ireland say alcohol consumption there remains 80% above the global average

[link removed]

—which makes this booze-free Irish bar

[link removed]

especially unique.

The country with the highest rate of drinking? Moldova

[link removed]

, where one in four deaths is related to alcohol.

A recent study finds that Alzheimer’s drug Donepezil successfully reverses neurological damage caused by alcohol

[link removed]

.

A new medical journal article urges Canadian doctors to talk to their patients routinely about alcohol use

[link removed]

.

A team of researchers in Korea and the U.S. got rats addicted to alcohol, then attempted to alleviate their withdrawal symptoms using acupuncture

[link removed]

. And according to their data, the treatment was fairly successful.

According to new survey results in the UK, the vast majority of 40 to 64-year-olds acknowledge they should drink less, but only 49% have attempted to do so

[link removed]

.

Health Care Reform and Parity

A federal judge in Mississippi ruled that the state had violated federal civil rights law by not providing mental health patients enough care in their communities, forcing them to essentially be segregated in state-run hospitals. Learn more →

[link removed]

Is a big, bipartisan deal on drug prices still possible? The path to a deal is complicated

[link removed]

.

Eleanor Health, an addiction treatment startup, formally launched this week with a clinic in North Carolina and plans to open 10 to 15 more sites in the coming year. The company says its focus is on value-based care delivery and payments

[link removed]

.

Advocate Spotlight

Happy National Recovery Month! Our teams will be out and about all month, raising awareness about addiction and promoting the promise of recovery. It’s fun to see all of the Recovery Month activity on social media.

Our friend Donald McDonald, for example (shown here with Faces and Voices of Recovery UK founder Annmarie Ward), took his recovery message

[link removed]

from North Carolina across the Atlantic, where many are also celebrating Recovery Month. Learn more →

[link removed]

Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption, the memoir by our colleague and longtime recovery advocate William C. Moyers, recently turned 13! First published on Aug. 28, 2006, it reached the top-20 on the New York Times bestseller list in October of that year. Still in print today, it continues to inspire others to seek help, and this televised discussion with his parents and radio host Jim Bohannon

[link removed]

is as relevant as ever.

In a new profile by the New York Times, actor Brad Pitt

[link removed]

talks about getting sober with the help of a mutual aid group.

Actor Charlie Sheen

[link removed]

, talking about his own sobriety, says, “It just hit me that it was time to make a change.”

Abby Honold

[link removed]

, a Minnesota advocate for reform on behalf of sexual assault victims, celebrated a year of sobriety over the weekend.

Our friend and fellow advocate Kris Kelly has helped spearhead Sunday Sober Suppers

[link removed]

, which kick off Sept. 22, at a restaurant in Minneapolis.

Miscellaneous Musings

More than half of Philadelphians surveyed by the Pew Charitable Trusts this spring said they believe people with opioid addiction brought their condition upon themselves, and that addiction is not like contracting a disease. Disappointing results but motivation for everyone’s continued advocacy. Learn more →

[link removed]

An advocate writes that corporations have a social responsibility

[link removed]

to actively recognize addiction as a human problem and commit to reducing the stigma associated with it.

The She Recovers Creating Connections Tour

[link removed]

, which we’re sponsoring, arrives in Seattle this Saturday.

Johns Hopkins is opening a new center to research psychedelic medicine

[link removed]

.

During National Recovery Month, Massachusetts General Hospital is putting a spotlight on addiction- and incarceration-related racial inequities

[link removed]

.

Addiction’s impact on young kids in the family continues to get too little attention. Our colleague Jerry Moe is spreading the word, though, and sharing what we do

[link removed]

help those members of the family. He’ll be speaking on Capitol Hill to the bipartisan Freshmen Working Group on Addiction later this month and also at a free public event—Kids in Crisis: The Youngest Victims

[link removed]

—that we’re hosting this Thursday in Fort Myers, Fla.

New research confirms the obvious: more young people are getting exposed to second-hand vapor

[link removed]

from e-cigarettes. The question that needs more research: What’s the health impact?

A treatment center CEO in Pennsylvania has pleaded guilty

[link removed]

in a “multi-layered scam that took advantage of vulnerable people suffering from substance use disorder to generate millions in profits.”

It’s great to see advocates starting more recovery community organizations, like Recovery Alliance Duluth

[link removed]

in northern Minnesota, which held its second annual recovery walk

[link removed]

An online petition

[link removed]

asks California lawmakers to stop the sale of nitrous oxide in tobacco shops.

In his latest blog post, William White offers several observations about how recovery, like addiction, can run in families

[link removed]

, suggesting that the topic represents an important research need. In another post, he revisits lessons and principles that he first shared in 2000 to help guide the new recovery advocacy movement

[link removed]

, inviting readers to judge how they have stood the test of time.

Thank you for reading. What do you think? Send us a note anytime, and have a great week!

Photo Highlights

Hazelden Betty Ford employees in Oregon kicked off National Recovery Month at Hands Across the Bridge

[link removed]

, an annual Labor Day event celebrating recovery.

(L to R) Congresswoman Angie Craig; Chris Johnson, MD; and our Emily Piper at a roundtable in West St. Paul, Minn., on first responders and the challenges they face addressing mental health and addiction.

Let’s Talk podcast host William C. Moyers

Let’s Talk podcast guest John Solomon

Congrats to recovery advocate Devin Reaves, executive director of the Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition, for being named to the Advisory Committee for The National Institute on Drug Abuse. He’s pictured here with NIDA Director Nora Volkow.

Stumbled upon a picture of this interesting sign while preparing for an upcoming event celebrating our 70 years of hope and healing. At one time, the tongue-in-cheek sign promoted good humor and serenity on the grounds at Hazelden Betty Ford in Center City.

Hazelden Betty Ford:

Est. 1949

Happy National Recovery Month

[link removed]

!

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

[link removed]

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

[link removed]

ISSUES WE CARE ABOUT

Industry Reform

[link removed]

| Fighting Addiction Stigma

[link removed]

| Opioid Epidemic

[link removed]

| Access to Treatment

[link removed]

| Marijuana Education

[link removed]

| Criminal Justice Reform

[link removed]

| Alcohol Prevention

[link removed]

You are receiving this message because you've registered or accepted our invitation to receive email from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

You are currently not subscribed to this email. If you'd like to receive Hazelden Betty Ford Advocacy Update emails, subscribe today.

[link removed]

View Online

[link removed]

| Preferences

[link removed]

| Unsubscribe

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

15251 Pleasant Valley Rd.

PO Box 11 RW19

Center City, MN 55012-0011
Screenshot of the email generated on import

Message Analysis