In Effort To Reduce Number Of Opioid Deaths, NYC Weighs Pros And Cons Of Safe Injection Sites
"What's most important to us is saving lives,'' says Kassandra Frederique, the New York director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Nearly four overdose deaths occur daily in New York City. While the U.S. has not opened any official centers yet to monitor safe drug use, dozens are being funded across Canada.
The New York Times:
To Cut Drug Deaths, City Considers Sanctioned Places To Shoot Up
In 2016, the opioid epidemic claimed 1,374 lives in New York City. That’s roughly four drug overdose deaths each day. One death every seven hours. It’s a harrowing statistic that continues to soar, and New York City officials are floating an idea that so far has not been tried in the United States: sanctioned locations where drug users can shoot up under the supervision of medical staff ready to revive them if they overdose. (Ferre-Sadurni, 2/9)
The Washington Post:
At The Heart Of Canada’s Fentanyl Crisis, Extreme Efforts That U.S. Cities May Follow
Beneath a blue tarp that blocks out a gray sky, Jordanna Coleman inhales the smoke from a heated mixture of heroin and methamphetamine, sucking the addictive vapor deep into her lungs. The drugs and pipe, acquired elsewhere, are hers. But the shelter, the equipment she uses to prepare her fix and the volunteers standing by to respond if she overdoses are provided by a small nonprofit. Funding and supplies come from the city of Vancouver and the province of British Columbia. (Bernstein, 2/11)
In other news on the opioid crisis —
The Washington Post:
Kratom Is Hailed As A Natural Pain Remedy, Assailed As An Addictive Killer. The U.S. Wants To Treat It Like Heroin.
Andrew Turner’s years in the military left him suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, back pain and the effects of an injury that mangled his hand. “I was a broken toy,” he said. Tossed aside. Barely able to get off the couch. Then he started using an herbal supplement that he says saved his life: kratom. (McGinley and Zezima, 2/10)
Houston Chronicle:
Only Prescribe Opioids For Short Durations, Advises Texas Hospital Group
Texas isn't one of the nation's hotbeds of opioid addiction, but concern about the ongoing crisis has caused the state's association of hospitals to give ERs advice on how to curb the misuse and abuse of such painkillers. ...The association released the guidelines the same day Congress passed a two-year budget including $6 billion to deal with the crisis — $3 billion in fiscal year 2018 and another $3 billion in fiscal year 2019. That's in addition to existing opioid-related funding, including the $1 billion over fiscal years 2017 and 2018 that Congress dedicated to the opioid epidemic in the 21st Century Cures Act. (Ackerman, 2/9)
Concord Monitor:
Tool New To N.H. Aims To Predict Patients’ Likelihood For Opioid Overdose
A digital tool that uses patients’ medical histories to help predict whether they are susceptible to opioid overdoses has been approved for use in New Hampshire, joining long-established surveys that try to predict whether patients will become addicted to the painkillers. But none of these are perfect, a reflection of the difficulty of determining the effect of opioids on individuals. (Brooks, 2/11)
Nashville Tennessean:
Some Tennessee Counties Lag In Opioid Progress: See The Interactive Map
Pharmacies in tiny Hamblen County northeast of Knoxville, Tenn. dispensed nearly three opioid prescriptions for every resident there, on average, in 2008 — the highest rate in the state. Less than 10 years later, the rate was almost cut in half. Hamlen County shows how the state has curtailed much of the flow of legal drugs that often fuel addiction. While still among the highest three states in the country, Tennessee decreased its opioid prescription rate by nearly 20 percent from 2008 to 2016, the most recent year for which federal data is available. (Reicher, 2/9)
Tampa Bay Times:
Chronic Pain Sufferers Plead For A Nuanced Approach To Opioids
Gov. Rick Scott has proposed legislation that aims to put a dent in the opioid epidemic by prohibiting doctors from prescribing more than three days’ worth of opioids — or seven days if doctors can explain why that’s medically necessary. ...She [Michele Jacobvitz] and others fear they’re being lumped into that group unfairly. They’re part of a chronic pain community that also encompasses many of Florida’s seniors, who rely daily on pain medication.(Griffin, 2/9)
Tampa Bay Times:
Tampa Bay Cops Take On New Duty: Saving Lives Threatened By Drug Overdose
Across the Tampa Bay area, law enforcement officers like Baden are arriving at overdose calls, administering naloxone and reviving people before paramedics arrive. Agencies here are part of a growing number in Florida and throughout the country that are handing out the antidote to patrol officers who are using it to bring drug users back from the brink of death. (Marrero, 2/12)
