International Overdose Day 2018 — Prevent Don’t Promote
This day of acknowledgement and focus around illicit drug overdose issues, should be — must be — about the prevention, repair and/or cessation of all that leads to an overdose episode, not merely the survival of it! …
It is important to reiterate that, a very real danger of this emerging narrative, is that it only entrenches victimhood and habit in unaccountable modes, ensuring personal agency and capacity are further deprived from the self, family and community harming individual! …
Trauma must be properly defined, properly managed and recovery from cause and symptom inexorably perused with best-practice mechanisms at all levels. Best-practice that precludes all self-medicating/harming processes, as they are all counterproductive in the restorative journey…
It’s also important to delineate between uptake of Heroin and the uptake of other illicit drugs. Our organisations connections in the sector have revealed that the majority of those ‘engaging’ directly with heroin were those who had suffered sexual abuse of some kind, particularly when young. However, we must be careful not to fall for the emotional overcategorization of triggers, prompts and ‘incentives’ for the far wider uptake of illicit drugs.
For complete article go to International Overdose Awareness Day 2018
Fight Drug Abuse, Don’t Subsidize It
Americans struggling with addiction need treatment and reduced access to deadly drugs. They do not need a taxpayer-sponsored haven to shoot up.
Almost 64,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2016, a shocking 54 percent increase since 2012. Dangerous opioids such as heroin and fentanyl contributed to two-thirds of the deaths. This killer knows no geographic, socioeconomic or age limits. It strikes city dwellers and Midwestern farmers, Hollywood celebrities and homeless veterans, grandparents and teenagers.
Remarkably, law enforcement efforts actually declined while deaths were on the rise. Federal drug prosecutions fell by 23 percent from 2011 to 2016, and the median drug sentence doled out to drug traffickers decreased by 20 percent from 2009 to 2016.
The Trump administration is working to reverse those trends. Prosecutions of drug traffickers are on the rise, and the surge in overdose deaths is slowing.
Unfortunately, some cities and counties are considering sponsoring centers where drug users can abuse dangerous illegal drugs with government help. Advocates euphemistically call them “safe injection sites,” but they are very dangerous and would only make the opioid crisis worse.
These centers would be modeled on those operating in Canada and some European countries. They invite visitors to use heroin, fentanyl and other deadly drugs without fear of arrest. The policy is “B.Y.O.D.” – bring your own drugs – but staff members help people abuse drugs by providing needles and stand ready to resuscitate addicts who overdose.
Aug. 27, 2018 By Rod J. Rosenstein — deputy attorney general of the United States. For complete article go to New York Times Opinion — Shooting Galleries
With cannabis coming to the workplace, what constitutes ‘impairment’?
ANDREW AU AUGUST 10, 2018 President, Intercept Group
Just as digital transformation has disrupted legacy business models, cannabis legalization will fundamentally challenge workplace policies.
On Oct. 17, recreational marijuana will officially become legal in Canada. According to a recent study conducted by Deloitte, 22 per cent of the Canadian adult population consumes recreational cannabis at least occasionally, and a further 17 per cent show some willingness to try it.
When we look at the single largest generation in the work force — millennials born between 1980 and 2000 — we see even higher receptivity. A national millennial study conducted by Intercept revealed that nearly three-quarters of respondents agree with the legalization of cannabis. And, they’re eager to try a variety of formats, including marijuana-infused baked food (52 per cent), skin lotions (49 per cent), candy (40 per cent) and vapour (38 per cent). Interestingly, while the majority of millennials agree with legalization, they also have concerns. Nearly 40 per cent believe it may lead to poorer performance at work.
Like it or not, cannabis consumption is about to spike. The total number of Canadians who’ve already registered for medical marijuana use exceeded 270,000 in December, 2017, according to Health Canada.
If you’re concerned about the implication of cannabis legalization, you’re in good company. In a report by the Conference Board of Canada, more than half of Canadian employers expressed concern about the implications of legalized marijuana on the workplace.
Cannabis will force company leaders to rethink existing workplace policies and implement new ones to ensure they’re offering a safe, inclusive and productive environment.
For complete article https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/cannabis/article-with-cannabis-coming-to-the-workplace-what-constitutes-impairment/
![\"\"](\"http://files.constantcontact.com/d75ceb5f201/ac2ff1bf-bbd4-4efa-8896-6827c7640820.png?a=1131150884165\")
Dear friend,
![\"\"](\"http://files.constantcontact.com/d75ceb5f201/d131ea6d-c9bb-4734-b792-7529b578bcfb.png?a=1131150884165\")
LIFE OR DEATH AFTER A NON-FATAL DRUG OVERDOSE
Research studies (see Stoové et al, 2009) have long associated surviving a drug overdose with the increased likelihood of a future non-fatal or fatal drug overdose. In a 2017 Massachusetts study of opioid overdoses, 10% of those who survived died within the next year from a drug overdose or other causes. In one of the most rigorous U.S. follow-up studies, Dr. Mark Olfson and colleagues compared the mortality rates of people who had survived a non-fatal opioid overdose to demographically matched members of the general U.S. population. They found that those who survived an opioid overdose died in the next year at 24 times the mortality rate of those in the general population, with most deaths attributed to drug-related diseases, subsequent overdose, circulatory disease, respiratory disease, cancer, HIV, viral hepatitis, and suicide. In another study that might be christened an investigation into lost opportunities, Dr. Linn Gjersing and colleagues found in a retrospective analysis of people who died of a drug overdose that 61% had previously sought emergency medical care and that 18% were frequent users of emergency medical services. The reasons for seeking past emergency care included somatic complaints (48%), injury (44%), alcohol and other drug-related medical problems (32%), and drug overdose (26%).
For complete article http://www.williamwhitepapers.com/blog/2018/08/life-or-death-after-a-non-fatal-drug-overdose.html
This is just one of the reasons why it is vital to divert drug users into recovery programs, not simply enable and equip them to continue self-harming with substances — These drug use endorsing mechanisms only increase the risk of harm that the same so-called ‘harm reduction’ strategies are supposed to lessen! (D.I. Comment)
TWO FRIENDS: QUITTING POT SENT ME IN ANOTHER DIRECTION
(Read part 1) This is how two friends changed forever. I was 19, with spotty employment, working low level part-time jobs. Sometimes I was “involuntarily terminated” from jobs because of poor attendance or petty theft. I did not understand at the time the awful effects that near daily use of marijuana was exerting on me. I had become a different person.
At age 19, I was diagnosed with clinical depression by a psychiatrist. Looking back from the much wiser perspective of mature man, I am absolutely certain that my depression was triggered directly by my regular cannabis use.
I had wanted to join the U.S. Navy immediately after high school because I’d wanted to “see the world.” But a neighborhood guy, another doper and USN veteran with a bad conduct discharge, had talked me out of it. He told me I’d most likely get involved with hard drugs if I did. I took his advice because I was not mentally strong enough to make decisions and stand on my own two feet. Cannabis had turned my mind into mush.
For complete story http://www.poppot.org/2018/08/13/two-friends-meet-go-different-directions/
Characteristics of Tianeptine Exposures Reported to the National Poison Data System – United States, 2000—2017
August 2018
What is already known about this topic?
Tianeptine is an antidepressant drug that is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Clinical effects of tianeptine abuse and withdrawal can mimic opioid toxicity and withdrawal.
What is added by this report?
Tianeptine exposure calls to U.S. poison control centers increased during 2014—2017, suggesting a possible emerging public health risk. The associated health effects included neurologic, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal signs and symptoms, with some effects mimicking opioid toxicity and withdrawal.
What are the implications for public health practice?
Health care provider and public education about adverse effects associated with tianeptine use is warranted. Health care providers and public health officials need to report adverse effects to the FDA MedWatch reporting system and contact poison control centers for clinical guidance.
Tianeptine (marketed as Coaxil or Stablon) is an atypical tricyclic drug used as an antidepressant in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In the United States, tianeptine is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical use and is an unscheduled pharmaceutical agent* (1). Animal and human studies show that tianeptine is an opioid receptor agonist (2). Several case studies have reported severe adverse effects and even death from recreational abuse of tianeptine (3—5). To characterize tianeptine exposures in the United States, CDC analyzed all exposure calls related to tianeptine reported by poison control centers to the National Poison Data System (NPDS)†during 2000—2017. Tianeptine exposure calls, including those for intentional abuse or misuse, increased across the United States during 2014—2017, suggesting a possible emerging public health risk. Most tianeptine exposures occurred among persons aged 21—40 years and resulted in moderate outcomes. Neurologic, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal signs and symptoms were the most commonly reported health effects, with some effects mimicking opioid toxicity. A substantial number of tianeptine exposure calls also reported clinical effects of withdrawal. Among 83 tianeptine exposures with noted coexposures, the most commonly reported coexposures were to phenibut, ethanol, benzodiazepines, and opioids.
For complete article https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6730a2.htm
![\"\"](\"http://www.dontlegalizedrugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MACLogo.png\" "\\"MACLogo\\"")
![\"\"](\"http://www.dontlegalizedrugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/SAM-LOGO.png\" "\\"SAM"){kind=logo}
|