In the News
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cbsnews.com: Opioid addiction skyrockets in young adults, but few get treatment meds
Posted 7/1/2017
Opioid addiction among Americans under the age of 25 is skyrocketing, climbing nearly sixfold between 2001 and 2014. Yet only 1 in 4 teens and young adults with opioid addiction receive recommended treatment medication despite having good health insurance, according to new research.
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vox.com: America leads the world in drug overdose deaths — by a lot
Posted 6/29/2017
America has about 4 percent of the world’s population — but about 27 percent of the world’s drug overdose deaths.
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nj.com: Patches, pills and lollipops: 4 things to know about fentanyl
Posted 6/29/2017
Fentanyl has only made its way into illegal drugs in the past five years, but its history goes far further back: The powerful opioid was first synthesized by Janssen Pharmaceuticals in 1960.
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nj.com: Doctors raked in cash to push fentanyl as N.J. death rate exploded
Posted 6/29/2017
The most powerful opioid ever mass-marketed was designed to ease cancer patients into death. It's ideal for that: the drug is fast acting, powerful enough to tame pain that other opioids can't and comes in a variety of easy delivery methods -- from patches to lollipops. But a dose the size of a grain of sand can kill you.
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thehill.com: We can’t cure the opioid epidemic if it’s not treated as a health crisis
Posted 6/29/2017
We’re living with a virus-like disease sweeping our nation. Nearly every community is affected. The rates of death rise year after year. Between 1990 and 2015, the percentages of death more than quadrupled. We lost more people than the population of Pittsburgh.
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cnn.com: An EMT's view from the front lines of America's heroin crisis
Posted 6/29/2017
Driving through the streets of Huntington, West Virginia, with Gordon Merry is a stark reminder of what heroin is doing to American communities.
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businessinsider.com: The Senate healthcare bill mentions the opioid crisis only once — but its effects could be devastating
Posted 6/29/2017
The bill contained only one mention of the ongoing opioid crisis: It appropriates $2 billion for fiscal year 2018 for the secretary of Health and Human Services "to provide grants to states to support substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services for individuals with mental or substance use disorders."
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tworivertimes.com: OPIOIDS – THE SCOURGE OF THE COMMUNITY
Posted 6/27/2017
MIDDLETOWN — “We know how important addressing this epidemic is,” said Mary Ann Christopher, senior executive for clinical affairs for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, referring to the opioid/heroin abuse plaguing all communities in Monmouth County and the state.
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hudsonreporter.com: Danger lurks in every corner
Posted 6/27/2017
Drug tests may have a place in law enforcement, but for most practical purposes, their effectiveness is limited at best. That was one of the problems raised at a seminar on June 7 that brought together leaders in various fields dealing with the spread of illicit drugs.
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statnews.com: 51 percent of opioid prescriptions go to people with depression and other mood disorders
Posted 6/27/2017
More than half of all opioid prescriptions in the United States are written for people with anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders, according to a new study that questions how pain is treated in this vulnerable population.