Feds Crack Down On Bogus Opioid Treatment Drugs
Federal regulators this week announced that they’re zeroing in on companies that sell bogus opioid addiction and withdrawal treatment drugs. As reported by The Washington Post, both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission are cracking down on companies “that target people desperate to find relief from their addictions.” Feds cited “Opiate Freedom 5-Pack,” “CalmSupport” and “Soothedrawal” (among others) as dietary supplements and homeopathic remedies that are marketed and sold as treatment drugs by “unscrupulous vendors who are trying to capitalize on the epidemic.” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb called for more medication-assisted approaches in the fight against the opioid crisis and a swift end to companies hawking quick-fix scams and schemes.
Dennis Rodman Seeks Long-Term Alcohol Treatment
Former NBA baller Dennis Rodman, arrested weeks ago in California on a DUI charge, left rehab early. TMZ reported that Rodman completed a week of inpatient treatment at New Jersey’s Turning Point on Wednesday before checking out. According to his rep Darren Prince, Rodman is moving to an outpatient center (also run by Turning Point) and plans to work on long-term sobriety. “He’s been working with psychotherapists as well as in group recovery classes,” Prince said, noting that “[Rodman] has finally been accountable for his behavior from alcohol over the years.” TMZ also said that Rodman personally commented on his treatment at Turning Point, acknowledging that the staff was “really cool and made me feel comfortable and understand how I got myself into this position and what I need to do to stay on this path.”
Opioids: Is the US Sliding Backward?
New statistics about the nation’s drug epidemic reveal that the US isn’t making much progress against opioids. According to CNN writer Michael Collins, who also serves as the deputy director of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of National Affairs, the US isn’t responding appropriately to the problem. “Lawmakers are responding to [drugs]by prioritizing prison over public health and embracing discredited drug war policies proven to make the crisis worse,” Collins said, pointing to a trend in recent years where lawmakers push for increased prison time and outdated anti-drug philosophies. Fentanyl and synthetic opioids have become the main driver of overdoses deaths in the US, Collins observed, and have triggered “media hysteria” not seen since the rise of crack cocaine in the 1980s.
Drugs and Nursing Don’t Mix in Connecticut
Eighty two percent of the disciplinary cases against Connecticut nurses involved substance abuse, the Hartford Courant said. Of those cases fielded by the state’s Board of Examiners for Nursing between 2015 and 2017, a jaw-dropping 77% were drug-related and the remaining 23% were related to alcohol. Sixty four percent of the drug-related disciplinary cases (113 in all) involved opioids, “including oxycodone, morphine, heroin and Fentanyl.” The Board reported that many nurses stole drugs and falsified official records to cover their tracks. Even worse: the number of drug and alcohol cases “is likely higher” than the reported 82% “because 51 nurses voluntarily surrendered their licenses.” Still, many nurses in Connecticut have successfully worked to get relicensed years later, which may shine a ray of hope for others who have similarly fallen into trouble.
Tennessee Governor Gets Tough on Opioids
On Monday, Tennessee’s Republican governor Bill Haslam announced a $30 million plan to combat the state’s growing opioid crisis. Opioids in Tennessee, one story said, now claim the lives of three people every day. Gov. Haslam’s initiative, dubbed “TN Together,” is a coordinated, three-pronged effort that involves prevention, treatment and law enforcement. Under the plan, limits would be imposed on the number of opioids people can be prescribed while full-scale public awareness campaigns would be rolled out throughout the state. Police will also be equipped with the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. The plan couldn’t come at a better time, the state’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services said: 300,000 people abuse drugs in Tennessee, with an estimated 27% of those same individuals ending up as addicts. “The encouraging thing is there is nobody in our state that I have talked to that wants to make this a political issue,” Haslam said. “There’s nobody that says, `I want some recognition out of this.’ There are a lot of people that say, `I want to be a part of helping solve this.”’
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