Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How A Small-City West Virginia Lawyer Became One Of The Attorneys Leading National Opioids Lawsuit
The Washington Post: A Hometown Lawyer Is Suing The Nation’s Largest Drug Companies Over The Opioid Crisis
Paul Farrell, Jr. was looking through the West Virginia Code a few years ago when he came across a statute saying a county has the legal right to abate a “public nuisance.” Typically, that would mean things like trash heaps in someone’s front yard. But Farrell decided it might also describe prescription opioids. Farrell is a small-city lawyer in a place often described as the epicenter of the opioid crisis. His hometown has been flooded by pills — “a tsunami,” he says. A thousand people have died of drug overdoses here in less than two decades. (Achenbach, 10/14)
Los Angeles Times: Massive Opioid Case May End With Huge Settlement. Where Would The Money Go?
The largest civil trial in U.S. history is scheduled to begin in a matter of days, putting those who made, marketed, distributed and dispensed prescription painkillers under the legal spotlight. But those on the front lines of the opioid epidemic are already looking beyond the courtroom to the massive settlement they expect will ultimately resolve the case. Experts have little doubt it would be the most complex payout the country has ever seen. It would exact so much, from so many companies. And it would need to do so much for so many people, starting with the 2 million Americans ensnared in addiction. (Healy, 10/14)
The Hill: Almost Half Of Americans Have Dealt With Substance Abuse In Family: Gallup
Nearly half of U.S. adults say that substance abuse problems have affected someone in their family, according to a new Gallup poll released Monday. Forty-six percent of respondents said they have experienced substance abuse in their family overall, with 18 percent reporting just alcohol problems, 10 percent reporting only drug problems and 18 percent reporting problems with both, according to Gallup. (Budryk, 10/14)
In other opioid news —
New Hampshire Public Radio: As Presidential Hopefuls Offer Addiction Solutions, N.H.'s Experience Is At The Forefront
Drug recovery centers first became a stop on the campaign trail in the 2016 New Hampshire primary, and they’re playing an especially important role this year, as presidential hopefuls unveil their plans to tackle the opioid crisis. As part of our series, “Where They Stand,” which takes a closer look at candidates’ policy proposals, NHPR’s Sarah Gibson looks at how candidates say they’ll combat addiction, and how their time in New Hampshire is shaping their message. (Gibson and Plourde, 10/15)
Military Times: Combat Troops At Higher Risk For Opioid, Heroin Addiction, Study Says
Combat exposure puts U.S. troops and veterans at substantial risk for abusing prescription opioids and even heroin — more so than service members who deployed but never saw a firefight, according to a working paper published last month by the National Bureau of Economic Research. In the study, entitled “Did the War on Terror Ignite an Opioid Epidemic?” economists with NBER, a non-profit that conducts economic research and disseminates it to policy makers, corporations and academia, determined that opioid abuse among combat-exposed veterans was 7 percentage points higher than among those who deployed but didn’t see combat. (Kime, 10/14)
WBUR: Mass. Is Now Collecting Data To Measure Quality Of Opioid Abuse Treatments
Data collection begins today for what organizers hope will become the first national rating system for opioid addiction treatment programs. Massachusetts is one of six states in a pilot program collecting the information from insurance claims, surveys from treatment programs and patients sharing their experiences. (Becker, 10/14)
