Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
An Addiction Meds Lawsuit May Lead To More Protection For Patients
AP: US Settlement Signals Protections For Addiction Medicine
A former Tennessee correctional officer will receive $160,000 in back pay and damages after he was forced to resign for taking Suboxone to treat his opioid use disorder, if a judge approves a landmark consent decree filed in federal court in Nashville on Wednesday. It is the first time the U.S. Department of Justice has used the Americans with Disabilities Act to settle a claim that an employee was discriminated against for taking a prescribed medication to treat drug addiction, according to the Department. (Loller, 1/19)
AP: Virginia House Panel Votes Down 'Magic Mushrooms' Bill
Virginia House Republicans have voted down a bill that would have allowed doctors to prescribe psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms,” for treatment of a small set of mental health conditions. A GOP-led House Courts of Justice subcommittee voted 5-2 Wednesday to defeat the legislation in a way that leaves open the possibility of revisiting it later, TV station WRIC reported. (1/19)
AP: Oregon's Drug Decriminalization Gets Poor Marks On Audit
Oregon’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization has had a rocky start, but Secretary of State Shemia Fagan said Thursday in releasing an audit of the program that it’s too early to call it a failure. Decriminalization of personal-use amounts of drugs, approved by voters in 2020 under Ballot Measure 110, was supposed to channel hundreds of millions of dollars of marijuana tax revenues into drug treatment and harm reduction programs. But that hasn’t yet translated into an improved care network for a state with the second-highest rate of substance use disorder in the nation and ranked 50th for access to treatment. (Selsky, 1/19)
Wyoming Public Radio: State Could Soon Have A “Plan Of Safe Care” For Newborns Born Into A Situation Where There Is Addiction Or Drug Misuse
A bill that would develop a ”plan of safe care” for newborns that are born into a situation where there is addiction or drug misuse has passed its first reading in the Wyoming State Senate. The Senate Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee voted unanimously in its favor before it reached the floor. (Kudelska, 1/19)
The Littleton Independent: Methamphetamine Contamination Found In Third Public Library In Colorado
The Bemis Public Library in Littleton closed Wednesday after test results indicated there was methamphetamine contamination in several bathrooms. A city statement, released after business hours on Wednesday, did not say how long the library will be closed. (Joss, 1/18)
AP: Chemicals For Possible Fentanyl Production Seized In Arizona
U.S. agents in southern Arizona said Thursday they seized up to 440 pounds (about 200 kilograms) of what they suspect is a precursor chemical often used to manufacture the dangerous drug fentanyl, a chilling sign that producers may be moving to manufacture the deadly synthetic opioid on American soil. (Snow, 1/20)
