Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Utah Man Who Allegedly Helped Run Million-Dollar Drug Ring Details Operations At Partner's Trial
The Associated Press: Million-Dollar Opioid Drug Ring Started Small, No. 2 Says
A man who prosecutors call the second-in-command of a multimillion-dollar online opioid drug ring said Thursday the operation started small, when he needed cash for student loans so he let his roommate sell his prescription Adderall. Drew Crandall, 33, said the dark-web operation run by his roommate Aaron Shamo, 29, grew to include date-rape drugs, ecstasy, Xanax and more. (Whitehurst, 8/15)
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Methadone Clinics Examine Security Needs In Wake Of Recent Shooting
Thousands of people go to Baltimore methadone clinics for a daily dose of the addiction treatment drug. Often doors are locked and there are guards and cameras, though there are few government or industry security requirements. Opioid treatment programs across the city are reviewing security measures since a shooting last month at the Man Alive clinic on Maryland Avenue left two dead and two injured. (Cohn, 8/16)
The Washington Post: Volunteers Picking Up Trash In West Baltimore Save Two Men Found Overdosing
At 8 a.m. Thursday, a team of volunteer garbage men wearing fluorescent orange shirts that read “Operation Baltimore Cleanup” walked down Monroe Street in West Baltimore, picking up trash. They were about three blocks from where Freddie Gray was arrested in 2015 when they noticed two young men struggling to walk down the street. The garbage men, who had just arrived from New York and Florida, had pledged to clean up Baltimore after the city’s garbage issues came under national scrutiny following controversial tweets by President Trump last month. (Rentz and Reed, 8/15)
Kaiser Health News: Among Hurdles For Those With Opioid Addictions: Getting The Drug To Treat It
It can be difficult to get a prescription for buprenorphine, one of the gold standards for treating opioid use disorder. And not all pharmacies stock the drug. (Feldman, 8/16)
The Baltimore Sun: How To Get Naloxone, The Antidote For An Opioid Overdose, In Maryland
In June 2017, Maryland’s deputy secretary of public health issued a statewide standing order for naloxone. That means pharmacies are allowed to sell the medication to anyone, without a need for a paper or electronic prescription. However, not all pharmacies necessarily stock naloxone. The Maryland Department of Health recommends anyone interested in purchasing the medication call a pharmacy first to learn if it’s in stock. (Reed, 8/15)
