Addiction Recovery-Friendly Workplaces Needed, White House Says
The Biden administration launched a new program, Recovery-Ready Workplace, that calls on private companies to institute practices to hire and retain employees who are recovering from substance addiction. Other efforts to address the national drug crisis focus on fentanyl terrorism.
Stat:
To Fight Bias Against People With Addiction, White House Calls For ‘Recovery-Friendly’ Workplaces
The Biden administration on Thursday issued a call to action for the nation’s employers to hire, train, and retain people in recovery from addiction. Recovery-Ready Workplace, as the new program is known, includes a new toolkit for employers and promotes a model state law that would create incentives for businesses to hire people in recovery and become certified as “recovery-friendly” workplaces. (Facher, 11/9)
Bloomberg:
US To Defend Against Fentanyl Terrorism With Opioid Overdose Antidote
Drugmaker Indivior Plc clinched a US contract worth up to $111 million for its opioid antidote — part of the government’s preparation for a potential bioterrorism attack with drugs such as fentanyl that can be released into the air. The contract will secure US supplies of Opvee, an opioid reversal medication that stays in the body longer than naloxone nasal spray, the standard treatment for opioid overdose which was approved for over-the-counter use earlier this year. (LaPara and Griffin, 11/8)
NPR:
DARE's 'Just Say No' Drug Education Didn't Work. Here's What Could
For years, programs like D.A.R.E. told students to "just say no" to drugs. But research shows that approach alone didn't work. Now experts are backing a new approach that could help save lives. (Gaines, 11/9)
The Charlotte Observer:
Charlotte Teens: Fentanyl Is Easy To Buy, Take To School
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools teens describe how easy it is to buy fake Percocet or pain pills, often laced or made of pure fentanyl. (Coin, 11/9)
The Atlantic:
What If Psychedelics' Hallucinations Are Just A Side Effect?
For several years, researchers have understood that the hallucinatory effects of psychedelics can, in theory, be separated from the other ways the drugs affect our mental state and brain structure. ... A new generation of nonhallucinogenic psychedelics, at least one of which is currently being tested in humans, aims to provide all of the mental-health benefits of LSD, psilocybin, or Ecstasy without the trip. ... They might also shed new light on how much psychedelics can alleviate psychic distress—and why they do so at all. (Friedman, 11/8)
In other news about addiction —
New Hampshire Public Radio:
Despite Millions Of Dollars Earmarked For Gambling Treatment In Massachusetts, Few In State Get Help
The Gandara Center is one of the only mental health clinics in Springfield, Massachusetts, that offers treatment for problem gambling. But even there, about a mile from the MGM Springfield casino, there’s only one clinician certified in gambling treatment. And she’s only treating five patients. “There's definitely many, many more people with problem gambling,” said Enrique Vargas, a clinical supervisor at Gandara. (Brown, 11/9)
