The Big News

In the final two minutes of this morning’s ABC News podcast is a short commentary on the latest push to market cannabis to moms. Good Morning America also asked last week: “Are Weed Moms the New Wine Moms?”

One person who sees the negative effects marijuana can have on some parents is Jerry Moe, national director of the Hazelden Betty Ford Children’s Program, who often shares stories about parents “checking out” from their kids when they are high. He has devoted his life to helping those children, as well as their parents, and was thrilled last week to see Sesame Workshop announce its new initiative addressing parental addiction. Jerry (above, right) has been a key advisor on the initiative since January and visited the set of Sesame Street in January with longtime friend and collaborator Sis Wenger (above, center, with actor Chris Knowings, left), CEO of the National Association for Children of Addiction. The initiative involves a 6-year-old green Muppet named Karli (above with Elmo) whose mom went to treatment and is now in recovery. The storyline will develop over time, but is already captured in the supplemental material that is now available to families and professionals on the Sesame Street in Communities website, which includes several contributions from Hazelden Betty Ford. We’re very grateful and proud to have played a role in this important project. Like never before on this scale (press coverage has been huge), it is creating and encouraging age-appropriate conversations with the little ones who are typically the first hurt and last helped when addiction is in the family.

Today in Minneapolis, the Manova Summit kicks off in Minneapolis. The three-day conference exploring the frontiers of health is drawing big names such as Jane Fonda, Katie Couric and Al Franken, among many others. Our own Joseph Lee, M.D., will be on the panel for a live national townhall tonight at Manova. The townhall—Let’s Talk Openly About Opioids—will be facilitated by the hosts of the Last Day Podcast, and the highlights will be published later as an episode.

Dr. Lee, along with our Chief Medical Officer Marvin D. Seppala, M.D., also will be featured on Day 2 of Manova in the global premiere of the new documentary, The Opioid Fix. The premiere is free and open to the public. The one-hour film also will air on Twin Cities Public Television in three parts on Oct. 28, Nov. 3, and Nov. 10. We’re excited to see it!

In other news, the big opioid trial in Ohio starts a week from today, and a bankruptcy judge has ordered a pause in separate legal action by 25 states against Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sacklers. The big question heading into litigation remains: if there’s a huge settlement, where will the money go?

The CDC somewhat narrowed the scope of its warnings about vaping last week, saying people “should not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC.” Previous guidance advised against the use of all e-cigarette products. However, the agency hedged a bit, continuing to stress, “we cannot exclude the possibility that nicotine-containing products play a role in this outbreak.”

Feeling lost in all the vaping news? Here’s a nice explainer to catch you up. A couple of interesting highlights: 1) The median age of the 1,300 Americans confirmed to have a vaping-related lung injury is 23, but the median age of the 26 who have died is 50. 2) New York's ban on flavored nicotine vapes was temporarily blocked by a court, which will hear arguments on the matter this week. 3) The CDC has named the mysterious vaping-related lung injury. 4) A USA Today reporter dove deep into the research on vaping.

This week’s featured media is a wonderful video on the new Sesame Street in Communities website, featuring Cynthia Galaviz, supervisor of the Hazelden Betty Ford Children’s Program in Rancho Mirage, Calif. It’s a sneak peek into the magic of working with young children.

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Treatment Industry Issues and Reforms

Over the weekend, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 920, a bill to require licensure for outpatient addiction treatment providers in California, and vetoed SB 589, which aimed to further curb unethical addiction treatment marketing practices. However, the governor signed AB 919, a bill that cracks down on financial conflicts-of-interest among treatment operators. We had supported all three bills and are disappointed by the two vetoes but eager to continue working on legislation with the governor and Legislature. Learn more →

A new startup says it aims to advance child and adolescent behavioral healthcare by 1) creating a radically great service experience; 2) building a live-and-digital care continuum; and 3) defining a new care collaboration model.

The FBI raided four Southern California addiction treatment centers.

Congrats to our VP of Marketing Strategy Melissa Fors, whom the American Marketing Association named National Nonprofit Marketer of the Year—in part, because of her leadership in promoting transparent, ethical marketing practices in an industry beset in recent years by fraudulent and deceptive sales tactics.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of our Summer Institute for Medical Students is that participants often become advocates when they return to their schools.

Cannabis Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., says in an op-ed that the tragic vape injuries involving THC (the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana) demand a federal reckoning over the dangerous conflict between state and federal pot laws. He says federal regulators can no longer remain on the sidelines. Learn more →

SAMHSA officials say the Surgeon General is right about marijuana and its risks. We agree.

Two weeks after state marijuana regulators cleared the way for marijuana deliveries to begin in Massachusetts, the governor is ramping up his push for a proposal targeting stoned driving.

A San Francisco man indicted along with two Ukrainian associates of the President’s personal lawyer also was an aspiring cannabis magnate in California. In addition, the two Ukranians’ indictment also includes allegations that they donated foreign cash to a  Nevada gubernatorial candidate with the aim of gaining one of the state’s highly coveted cannabis licenses.

California officials raided a licensed marijuana business that was allegedly selling massive quantities of off-the-books products out the back door, including 7,200 vape cartridges.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is making numerous license renewals conditional on the companies resubmitting better progress reports on their required diversity/positive-impact plans. It looks like many marijuana companies fudged them and/or didn't follow through on promises.

The first year of legalized cannabis in Canada has reportedly been a disaster for investors—perhaps one reasons Canadian weed companies have their eyes on other markets emerging around the world.

One of the biggest deals in America’s legal cannabis industry just fell apart.

Illinois has mapped out the areas most hurt by the so-called “war on drugs,” where marijuana entrepreneurs will get a boost. But not everyone’s happy.

In Brookline, Mass., residents are calling on the town to implement stricter controls on marijuana retailers.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial board has backed Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's call to legalize recreational marijuana, saying it would make the state, among other things, “healthier.” Really?

Opioids

America’s synthetic opioid crisis still growing, and keeping fentanyl from getting entrenched in the west—even by a couple of years—could prevent thousands of deaths. Learn more →

A heartbreaking obit, written by a father who lost his daughter after 14 years of opioid misuse, calls on the Vermont Department for Children and Families to “rethink its mission to be the punisher of addicted mothers, the separator of families and the arbiter of children’s futures, and instead embrace a mission of enhanced rehabilitation.”

HHS has a new message for doctors: Abrupt changes to a patient's opioid prescription could harm them. The agency issued new guidelines for physicians, recommending a deliberate approach to lowering doses for chronic pain patients who have been on long-term opioid therapy. Helpful, perhaps, but sad that such guidance is needed. It’s yet another case-in-point regarding the medical establishment’s failure to educate all health care professionals about addiction, not to mention pain management.

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who died of an opioid overdose, bought his opioids from a team executive, according to testimony provided to the DEA.

School nurses in a Virginia county say they don’t want Narcan in the nurses’ office. Among the reasons: “This false sense of security that there is a rescue medication for experimentation. We don't want to contribute to that sense of security.”

Dr. Drew Pinsky says in a new documentary that his fellow doctors are responsible for the opioid crisis. (On a much lighter note, Dr. Drew was recently revealed on a silly new reality TV show called The Masked Singer.)

A new study found that one in three young adults receive medication for opioid use disorder within 12 months of a non-fatal opioid overdose.

Alcohol A new PSA campaign aims to educate moms and mothers-to-be about fetal alcohol syndrome disorders, using the faces and voices of kids. Learn more →

Cuts in alcohol taxes are correlated with a rise in alcohol-related deaths in England.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Addiction Center find that 90% of 660 people surveyed in a residential recovery center had overdosed on alcohol at least once in their lives—blacking out, or suffering alcohol poisoning severe enough to need medical treatment. In 80% of those cases, survivors said they had also been taking other drugs.

Health Care Reform and Parity

New research finds that wasteful spending in U.S. health care may be as high as $935 billion annually. Learn more →

This article looks at why value-based care initiatives have failed thus far to improve the overall quality of health care in the U.S., suggesting the need for more customized efforts addressing specific populations.

A federal judge ruled that Mississippi’s mental health system discriminates against people with serious mental illness.

The pharmaceutical lobby says legislation to control prescription drug prices would be an “innovation killer, a job killer, and ultimately a hope killer for American patients waiting for better cures.”

New polling shows that most of the public does not think the Administration has or will have a health care plan.

According to a recent analysis, the average U.S. household spent $5,000 per person on health care in 2018—nearly 10% of the median household income of $60,000. Additionally, American healthcare expenses have increased by 101% since 1984, primarily attributed to the surge in health insurance costs, which have increased by 740% in the past 34 years.

Advocate Spotlight We wrote here recently about the recovery advocacy and outstanding play of Oakland Raiders tight end Darren Waller. Check out this two-year recovery medallion he received from a fan who had it custom made. Learn more →

The Recovery Advocacy Project is accepting applications through the end of October for local service positions nationwide.

MusiCares helped him get sober 20 years ago. This past weekend, Michael McDonald (the music manager, not the singer) finished the Kona Ironman World Championships course in 12 hours, 42 minutes and 22 seconds after raising almost $400,000 for the nonprofit that helped him get healthy all those years ago.

Actor Shia LaBeouf says a co-star helped save him as he confronted problems with alcohol.

Miscellaneous Musings A new line of greeting cards aimed at opening up conversation about addiction became available for free last week.

The state of Colorado made almost 10,000 cards with money from a federal grant, but it took only four days to run out of stock. A new batch is expected to be available online by mid-October. Learn more →

• Oklahoma easily outpaces all other states in female incarceration at 2½ times the national rate. However, Tulsa County is bucking that trend for Oklahoma thanks to Women in Recovery, an 18-month comprehensive alternative program for females at imminent risk for long-term incarceration.

• Our friend Michael King shares 50 observations from traveling the country doing 50 trainings on community organizing and “seeing the brilliance of the recovery advocacy movement.”

• We’re excited about our upcoming Recovery Friendly Workplace Summit, sponsored by Premera and The Dodson Foundation, this Friday in Seattle. William C. Moyers will emcee. Check out this preview video featuring our colleague David Anderson and recovery advocate Leigh Swanson, who both will speak at the event. It’s free, and registration is still open.

• University of Minnesota students look to establish on-campus support for students who have a loved one in active addiction or recovery.

• We continue to sponsor the nationwide She Recovers: Creating Connections tour, which stops this Saturday in New York City! Registration is still open, and a few scholarships are available. Sign up for yoga, lunch, speakers, connection, support and empowerment. Next stop: 9 in San Diego.

• In his latest blog post, William White looks more closely at a recent study of people recovering from opioid use disorder, concluding that it supports his advocacy for combining medications and recovery mutual aid involvement. The even-more-recently-published study of our Comprehensive Opioid Response with Twelve Steps (COR-12) treatment framework, implemented in 2012, also advances this conclusion.

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