Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Assembly Passes Bill To Decriminalize Personal Psychedelic Use
The Wall Street Journal: Psychedelics Decriminalization Bill Approved By California Assembly
California’s assembly passed a bill that would make it the third state to decriminalize psychedelic drugs for personal use. The measure cleared the lower house of the Democratic-controlled state legislature Wednesday, with a final tally showing 44 members voting yes, 14 opposed and 22 not voting. Four of the Assembly’s 13 Republican members joined their Democratic colleagues to vote for the bill. (Mai-Duc and Elinson, 9/6)
In other news about drug use —
NPR: Share Of U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Caused By Fake Prescription Pills Is Growing
The share of overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills more than doubled between mid-2019 and late 2021, and the percentage more than tripled in western states, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, overdose deaths that had evidence of fake pill use accounted for just 2% of fatalities between July and September of 2019. That figure jumped to 4.7% between October and December of 2021. (Hernandez, 9/6)
Stat: For Those In Heroin’s Grip, 'Housing Is Health Care' In This Program
Shaun Anderson hasn’t slept this late in the day in years. He still wakes up a few times throughout the night — a habit he’s developed trying to protect himself from being jumped while at his most vulnerable. This morning, however, he slept so deeply he didn’t hear his doorbell ring. He wasn’t used to even having a doorbell, or a regular place to sleep — housing is one of many things he’d lost to a decades-long battle with opioid use disorder. (Wisniewski, 9/7)
More mental health news —
Stat: Ketamine Treatment For Depression: Why It Can Be Hard To Access
Every day, Marisa Russello was overwhelmed by suicidal thoughts. Even one negative thought might cause her to spiral. A writer working on her book manuscript, she’d be unable to change a word without questioning the entire project’s value altogether. Her depression made it hard to fall and stay asleep. She developed insomnia and took to sleeping during the day. She knew not to listen to intrusive feelings, but her brain kept telling her otherwise. A darkness took hold of her consciousness and wouldn’t let go. (Maloney, 9/7)
KFF Health News: Most States Have Yet To Permanently Fund 988. Call Centers Want Certainty
Since the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline transitioned a year ago to the three-digit crisis phone number 988, there has been a 33% increase in the number of calls, chats, and texts to the hotline. But even with that early sign of success, the program’s financial future is shaky. (Saint Louis, 9/7)
North Carolina Health News: Colleges Focus On Mental Health As Students Return
When Peyton Morris was 16, her father died by suicide. A few years later, she was a freshman at UNC Chapel Hill when the campus lost several students to suicide over a six-week period. So when Morris started her sophomore year, she revived Walk. Support. Glow. — a student organization on campus that works to bring more awareness about mental health issues and the resources available to students. (Fernandez, 9/7)
The New York Times: At Yale, A Surge Of Activism Forced Changes In Mental Health Policies
In the weeks after Rachael Shaw-Rosenbaum, a first-year student at Yale, died by suicide in 2021, a group of strangers began convening on Zoom. Some of them knew Ms. Shaw-Rosenbaum. But many only knew what she had been going through, as she struggled with suicidal thoughts and weighed the consequences of checking herself into the hospital. One, a physician in her early 40s, had been told years ago to withdraw from Yale while she was hospitalized after a suicide attempt, an experience she recalls as chillingly impersonal, “like you’re being processed through this big machine.” (Hartocollis and Barry, 9/6)
The Charlotte Ledger: When The ER Is The Only Option
Grace, 11, still has nightmares about the emergency room. After she tried to take her own life in May, Grace spent three days at Atrium Health Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem. The other kids in the ER with her were mostly older, Grace said, and some were violent. (Crouch, 9/6)
