Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Public Health Is Under Attack From Gun Violence, Hate Crimes; Find The Money For A Universal Flu Vaccine Before It's Too Late
The Hill: Firearms, Violence And Hate Crimes Are Public Health Issues We Must Address Immediately
A gunman opening fire in a grocery store, a yoga studio, or in a house of worship sounds like a scene from a nightmare — and the latter is eerily reminiscent of one of history’s darkest hours. Unfortunately, this is a reality that has become all too familiar across the U.S. From Pittsburgh, Aurora, Parkland, Orlando, Las Vegas, Newtown and South Carolina, it is clear that firearms violence has become a public health epidemic in America. (Ana Maria Lopez, 11/6)
The Hill: Flu Killed 65,000 People Last Year, But We Don't Seem To Care
Somehow, 12,000 to 65,000 deaths from the influenza virus each year in the U.S. alone has become acceptable to us. In fact, last year was the worst flu season in 40 years — 80,000 flu-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most years it is the elderly who pay the highest price — 80 percent of flu deaths are in people over 65, but their cause of death is usually noted as pneumonia. This year what’s making news is that the strains in circulation are killing people of all ages — young, healthy women and men and a chilling 100 reported deaths of children so far just in the U.S. (J. Joseph Kim, 11/6)
Stat: Executive Pay Shouldn't Be Protected From The Cost Of Opioid Legal Settlements
Focusing on the “Big Three” drug distributors — Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen — we called for sweeping reforms to address the operational, cultural, and compliance problems that allowed these three companies to pump more than 420 million opioid pills into my home state of 1.8 million people in just six years. (All drug companies combined sent 780 million doses to the state.) As our successes demonstrate, shareholders of these companies have an inherent self-interest in reforming such reckless corporate behavior. (Ken Hall, 11/7)
The Hill: Marijuana Has Economic Benefits, But Public Health Risks Are Undecided
The marijuana business is booming in the U.S. medicinal marijuana is legal in 30 states and the District of Columbia. Eight states have legalized recreational marijuana. Sales figures are up wherever it is legally sold. In Colorado, for example, marijuana sales topped out at nearly $6B since 2014’s legalization. In 2017, sales there reached $1.5B and this year’s sales are on track to surpass that figure. This includes CBD (used medicinally — not the subject of this article) and plants with high levels of DTHC or THC, cannabis’s main psychoactive compound. This is all excellent news for municipalities and states that benefit from increased tax revenues and for savvy marketers who now sell marijuana at the rate of alcohol. Unfortunately, marijuana’s public health risks are not as clearly understood as the risks of alcohol. (Jonathan Fielding, 11/7)
