Saving Lives Or Normalizing Drug Use? Safe-Injection Sites Become Flashpoint In War Against Opioid Epidemic
Proponents of the facilities, which allow users to safely inject drugs under medical supervision, say that innovative solutions are needed in the midst of a war that the country is losing. Critics, however, see the sites as a step in the wrong direction. In other news on the drug crisis: addiction treatment and updates in the court cases against painkiller-makers.
The Wall Street Journal:
Drug-Injection Sites Are Battleground In Fight Against Opioid Overdoses
Supervised drug-injection sites are gaining traction in half a dozen U.S. cities, setting off a legal battle and intensifying public debate over the controversial concept. Supervised sites—also known as safe-consumption sites—are places where individuals can use drugs they’ve already purchased, with sterile supplies, under the supervision of trained personnel. In the event of an overdose, staff can administer the antidote naloxone. (Miller Rubin, 4/29)
Stat:
Doctors, Health Officials Push To End Restrictions On Key Addiction Treatment
Eighteen state public health directors, a growing group of physicians, and a prominent member of Congress are pushing a dramatic expansion of substance use treatment by posing a simple question: Why can’t doctors who prescribe opioids also prescribe drugs to treat opioid addiction? Their push to deregulate use of buprenorphine, which is used to lessen opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms, would represent a fundamental shift in U.S. addiction treatment. The medication — and addiction medicine in general — are highly regulated, largely due to fears that opioid-based treatment drugs like buprenorphine and methadone could be misused. (Facher, 4/30)
The Associated Press:
Judge: Former Opioid Advocate Can Testify Against Industry
A federal jury will be able to hear from a doctor who spent decades advocating for broader use of powerful prescription painkillers before turning against the opioid industry. A special court master had ruled earlier this month that the testimony of Dr. Russell Portenoy, a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, would not be allowed at the first federal trial against drugmakers over the toll of opioids. The reason was that attorneys representing the local governments suing the industry had failed to disclose for nearly a year that Portenoy was cooperating with them. (Mulvihill, 4/29)
