As Opioid Crisis Rages On, California Officials Ramp Up Efforts To Curb Deadly Epidemic
Most recently, a state Assembly committee voted 16-0 to approve a bill that would require doctors to check California’s prescription drug database before prescribing certain addictive drugs. Elsewhere, a man who struggled with an opioid addiction shares his story with the surgeon general, and Tennessee officials are struggling to deal with the crisis in their state.
The Sacramento Bee:
Fighting Opiate Abuse: Lawmakers, Families Demand Action
In the deadly world of opioid overdoses, fentanyl is only the latest high-profile killer. Opioid abuse cuts across all demographics, from celebrities such as Prince, whose recent death was confirmed as an “accidental” fentanyl overdose, to victims in upscale El Dorado Hills neighborhoods and worn south Sacramento streets. Calling it a public health epidemic, legislators, law enforcement, health officials and families here and across the country are ramping up new efforts to combat opiate addiction and deaths, including those attributed to fentanyl. (Buck, 6/15)
Arizona Republic:
Arizona Man Lived To Tell The Surgeon General His Success Story Fighting Opioid Addiction
[Jeremy] Reed could have been one of the thousands who die of opioid overdoses — more than 28,000 in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Instead, with the help of Community Bridges, he overcame his addiction, and now works for the organization. (Eaton, 6/15)
The Tennessean:
Tennessee Police, Health Officials Can't Keep Up With Opioid Crisis
As Tennessee officials continue to grapple with the growing abuse of opioids, overdose deaths and babies born addicted, a panel of law enforcement, public health and insurance officials Wednesday described a problem that has remained one step out of reach of efforts to combat it. (Wadhwani 6/15)
