Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Believing Marijuana Helps Your Pain May Make It So: Study
CNN: Pain Relief From Marijuana May Come From Believing It Helps, Study Says
Some people suffering pain from cancer and other chronic diseases turn to marijuana to ease their suffering, but much of that relief may come from simply believing weed will help, a new study found. (LaMotte, 12/2)
On marijuana and cannabis use among children —
ABC News: Poison Center Reports For Child Marijuana Use Rose 245% In Last 20 Years: Study
Between 2000 and 2020, reports to poison centers for child and teen marijuana use increased by 245%, according to a new study from the Oregon Health and Science University. (Manickam, 12/5)
Los Angeles Times: 7 Van Nuys Pupils Released From Hospital Amid Investigation
Seven Van Nuys Middle School students who were taken to hospitals Thursday after reporting “medical complaints” have been discharged and are listed as stable, but authorities have yet to determine what sparked the medical emergency. ... LAFD Capt. Erik Scott said Thursday it was possible the Van Nuys students ingested marijuana-infused products, or “edibles,” but the incident remains under investigation. (Hernandez, 12/2)
On the drug-abuse crisis in America —
The Washington Post: Drugs Killed 8 Friends, One By One, In A Tragedy Seen Across The U.S.
Oct. 2, 2013, was not the day the drug epidemic reached Greenville. But beginning with Jackson’s death that day, a group of at least 16 young men and women who grew up together in this small eastern North Carolina city would succumb to overdoses of opioids and other drugs over nine years. More of their peers became addicted or overdosed but managed to survive. (Bernstein and Smith, 12/2)
The Wall Street Journal: A Military Wife’s Descent Into Meth Addiction—And Her Agonizing Journey Back
Lauren St. Pierre had the adorable toddler, the successful husband and a new house by the Army base where he worked. Surgeries bestowed the hourglass figure she had always wanted. On a summer day in 2010, Lauren discovered something she wanted more. (Phillips, 12/3)
Iowa Public Radio: Addiction Treatment Proponents Urge Rural Clinicians To Pitch In By Prescribing Medication
Andrea Storjohann is glad to see that she’s becoming less of a rarity in rural America. The nurse practitioner prescribes medication to dozens of patients trying to recover from addiction to heroin or opioid painkillers. (Leys, 12/2)
KHN: Journalists Discuss Medicaid Rules, Opioid Settlement Funds, And The Public Health Workforce
KHN correspondent Sam Whitehead discussed Georgia’s push for Medicaid work requirements on WABE’s “All Things Considered” on Nov. 28. ... KHN correspondent Aneri Pattani discussed how states are distributing opioid settlement funds on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Nov. 24. ... KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed how public health workers have lost their jobs as CDC Foundation contracts dry up on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Nov. 23. (12/3)
