Author: The Fix

Clark Gable III Died from Accidental Fentanyl, Oxycodone Overdose

The grandson of Hollywood legend Clark Gable was found unresponsive in his home on February 22.

Actor and television host Clark Gable III’s untimely death at the age of 30 was due to an accidental overdose of fentanyl, as well as oxycodone and alprazolam (Xanax).

Several news sources, including TMZ and the New York Daily News, revealed that an autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office in Dallas County, Texas, determined that Gable, who was best known as the host of Cheaters, died on February 22, 2019 from the “combined effects” of the three drugs.

TMZ also quoted its conversation with Cheaters producer Bobby Goldstein, who said that Gable’s drug use was known on set.

Gable III—the grandson of Hollywood legend Clark Gable—was found unresponsive in his home in Dallas by his girlfriend on the morning of February 22 and transported to an area hospital, where according to the medical examiner’s report, he died at 9:11 a.m.

At the time of his death, Gable’s passing was credited to undisclosed causes, but in an interview with Radar Online, former girlfriend Heather Chadwell said that they both struggled with addiction during their relationship.

“We were together on-and-off for several years, and during that time, we went through a lot,” she told Radar. Chadwell also noted that after their split, Gable called her from the hospital, where he had undergone surgery to treat a stab wound that caused one of his lungs to collapse.

Sources on the set of Cheaters, which Gable hosted in its 13th and 14th season, said that Gable’s drug use concerned some crew members to the point that they spoke to producer Goldstein about his health.

Goldstein told TMZ on April 12 that he addressed the issue with Gable, but was told that there was no cause for concern.

At the time of his death, Gable, who had a daughter with his girlfriend Summer in 2017, had either completed or was working on acting roles in several independent features, and was reportedly compiling a documentary about his grandfather, who starred in Gone with the Wind.

Gable is the most recent celebrity whose death has been attributed to fentanyl.

Musicians Prince and Tom Petty both succumbed to overdoses caused by the powerful synthetic opioid, as did hip-hop musicians Mac Miller and Lil Peep and Jay Bennett of the band Wilco.

View the original article at thefix.com

15 April 2019
Delaware Passes Opioid Prescription Tax

New York passed a similar measure earlier this month.

Lawmakers in Delaware have passed a measure to tax prescription opioids, a move that they expect will generate $8 million over three years to support addiction treatment in the state.

Democratic Sen. Stephanie Hansen, who sponsored the bill, said that it will pass on costs to the manufacturers who contributed to the opioid epidemic, according to the Associated Press.

“These multi-million dollar companies that have reaped record profits after flooding our doctors’ offices and getting people in pain hooked on these drugs will no longer be able to avoid responsibility for the pain and suffering caused by their products,” she said.

However, people who oppose the measure say that manufacturers will pass the costs on to insurance companies, which will then pass them to consumers. Others said that the tax is a misguided and unfair way to address opioid addiction.

“Unfortunately, what’s being proposed—taxing legitimately prescribed medicines that patients rely on for legitimate medical needs to raise revenues for the state—ignores evidence-based solutions, sets a dangerous precedent and ultimately won’t help patients and families,” said Nick McGee, a spokesperson for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, an industry group that opposes the measure.

The tax rates depend on the dosage, and whether an opioid is a brand name or generic. It ranges from a few cents per pill, to up to a dollar per pill. The bill sets the tax rate of one cent for every morphine milligram equivalent, or MME, a measure of an opioid’s strength. In addition, there is a surcharge for brand-name pills.

For example, a 10-milligram pill of oxycodone would be taxed at 4 cents, while OxyContin, the brand-name alternative, would have a 15-cent tax.

Johns Hopkins University health economist Jeromie Ballreich said that these amounts would not change what people can expect to pay for their pain medication.

He said, “I do not expect copays to change based on this fee, just as they don’t change for drug price increases.”

Delaware isn’t the only state that hopes to fund treatment through taxing opioids. New York passed a similar measure last week, its second attempt since 2018. Last year the measure was struck down by a federal judge because of the way that it would affect interstate commerce.

While New York lawmakers also insisted that patients would not be affected, an academic report on the measure found a different result.

“While the language of the proposed law attempts to place the burden of the tax on drug manufacturers, in practice market forces determine how the burden of the tax is shared between producers and consumers,” Lewis Davis, professor of economics at Union College, wrote in the report.

View the original article at thefix.com

15 April 2019
DOJ Accuses Indivior Of Illegally Marketing Suboxone Film

The drug company is accused of promoting its sublingual film strips as safer and less abusable than other opioid treatment drugs.

A British pharmaceutical company was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on charges of fraud involving its Suboxone film medication, which is used to treat opioid dependency.

The DOJ alleged that Indivior reaped “billions of dollars in revenue” by engaging in an “illicit nationwide scheme” to promote its sublingual film strips as safer and less abusable than other opioid treatment drugs, and further sought to boost profits with a helpline for prospective patients that allegedly diverted them to physicians that prescribed Suboxone.

Indivior refuted the charges in an eight-page rebuttal, but were unable to stop their stock from dropping by 71% after the DOJ issued its indictment on April 9.

Indivior developed its Suboxone film strips in 2007 as an alternative to the tablet form of the drug, which was facing competition from generic products. Both the tablet and the film strips contain buprenorphine, an opioid used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid dependency, and itself a highly addictive drug.

The DOJ alleged that Indivior marketed its Suboxone film as safer and less-divertable than the tablet modality, and “aggressively marketed” the film as having a “lower risk of child exposure,” despite lacking any scientific evidence to support those claims.

Prosecutors found that the film strips could actually be more hazardous to children, due to their fast dissolution when placed under the tongue and formulation that made them “taste better.” The DOJ also claimed that Indivior lied when it announced the end of production for Suboxone tablets in 2012 due to “concerns regarding pediatric exposure,” when, as the indictment noted, the real reason was to delay the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of generic forms of Suboxone.

Additionally, the indictment alleged that Indivior diverted more patients to its film strips through an internet and telephone resource program. The “Here to Help” line connected opioid-dependent patients to doctors that it knew were prescribing Suboxone and other opioids at an amount and dosage greater than allowed by federal law, and in some cases, under suspect circumstances.

The alleged scheme proved successful for Indivior, which saw sales of Suboxone Film strips jump from $83 million in 2010 to $843 million in 2014, according to the DOJ indictment.

Thousands of patients reportedly switched prescriptions to Suboxone film as a result of the company’s allegedly fraudulent promotion, and state Medicaid programs expanded and maintained coverage of Suboxone film at a “substantial” cost to the U.S. government.

The DOJ indictment charged Indivior with one count of health care fraud, four counts of mail fraud and 22 counts of wire fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit all three aforementioned charges. The indictment is only an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

In a statement, Indivior chairman wrote that his company “conducts more research into opioid addiction than any other company, and the products it has brought to market have helped millions of people struggling with opioid addiction.” He added that he was surprised that the DOJ would indict a company for claims that “the government’s own researchers believe are true.”

The news of the indictment sent Indivior’s stock price sliding from $100 a share to approximately $30 a share on April 10.

View the original article at thefix.com

15 April 2019
Carly Rae Jepsen Parodies "This is Your Brain on Drugs" PSA

The pop star parodied the infamous PSA to promote her new single “No Drug Like Me.”

In a promotional video, the pop star hearkened back to the “just say no” public service announcements of yesteryear.

Carly Rae Jepsen remade the classic “this is your brain on drugs” public service announcement, complete with egg-smashing and frying pan-swinging.

She made the video to announce her new single, “No Drug Like Me.” In it, Jepsen holds up an egg, representing your brain, and a large frying pan, representing “No Drug Like Me.” She places the egg on the countertop, and winding up to crush the egg with the frying pan, she delivers her riff on the classic line:

“This is what happens to your brain when you listen to ‘No Drug Like Me.’”

After smashing the egg on the counter, she goes to town on the rest of the kitchen, swinging the frying pan through fragile objects that represent your family, friends, money, job, self-respect, future, and life.

This isn’t the first time the PSA has been remade. Notably, Rachel Leigh Cook, who starred in the original PSA, reprised her role to take aim at how drug policy has fallen short. Cook especially focused on how drug policy has been a conduit for systematic racism.

“This is one of the millions of Americans who uses drugs and won’t get arrested,” Cook said while holding a white egg.

Picking up a brown egg, she continues: “However, this American is several times more likely to be charged with a drug crime.”

In this version, the frying pan crushes the job prospects of the brown egg who has drug charges on its record.

“The War on Drugs is ruining people’s lives,” Cook says at the end of the video. “It fuels mass incarceration. It targets people of color in greater numbers than their white counterparts. It cripples communities. It costs billions. And it doesn’t work. Any questions?”

Comparatively, Jepsen’s is pretty tongue-in-cheek, remixing the PSA to say that her song is so catchy it will destroy your relationships and ruin your life. At the end of her video, she throws whole eggs, shell included, into the frying pan as a snippet of her new song plays.

“No Drug Like Me” comes from her upcoming album, Dedicated, due to be released on May 17th.

View the original article at thefix.com

15 April 2019
Charlie Sheen Graduates From Rehab, Recalls "Chaos" Of Addiction

“You get tired of apologizing for things that you can’t remember doing. The amends can’t just be words, they have to be actions,” Sheen said.

Charlie Sheen, speaking in an interview on Loose Women, announced he has graduated from rehab. On the show, he revealed his biggest motivator for getting sober: being unable to take care of his daughter. At times, he admitted, he felt like he was “possessed by a demon” when he craved alcohol.

“To this day, I am not sure how I created such chaos and wound up in that headspace. It’s as though there was some alien or demonic possession going on,” he said.

Sheen’s trouble with drugs and alcohol were highly public, including one infamous 2011 interview where he declared he was indeed on a drug—that he was all too familiar with.

“I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen,” he told ABC News. “It is not available because if you try it once you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.”

Now, after rehab and therapy, Sheen is 16 months sober. He spoke about how he feels about recovery in his recent interview with Loose Women.

“You get tired of apologizing for things that you can’t remember doing. The amends can’t just be words, they have to be actions. It’s hard but not impossible,” Sheen said. “I said to the [therapist], ‘Is there an end point here?’… and there isn’t. It’s an ongoing thing. You make the amends when it is appropriate, it’s not about making them on your terms, it’s about approaching others on theirs.”

Sheen’s decision to get sober came after one fateful day where he realized he was simply too drunk to help raise his own daughter.

“I couldn’t get my daughter to an appointment that she had. I don’t drink and drive ever, I have never had a DUI,” he explained. “’I was like, ‘Wow, I am not even responsible enough to be available for my children’s needs.’ The next morning I woke up and was like, ‘Today is the day.’”

Sheen believes he’s in a much better and safer state of mind now and doesn’t fear that he will relapse.

“I have a game plan and I stick to it,” he said. “There is nothing left in that world, I exhausted it completely. The only thing left would be something catastrophic.”

View the original article at thefix.com

15 April 2019
5 Lessons from 5 Years of Sobriety
When I reflect on this choice I’ve made every day for five years, I realize sobriety is a limitless resource, readily available for anyone who needs it. I won’t run out of sobriety one day if someone else becomes sober. I won’t run out if 500,000 people become sober.

I’m entering my fifth year of sobriety this April. Finding and maintaining sobriety has been no small task and I’ve learned a lot about myself over this time. I’ve changed from who I was as a drunk and as a newly sober person to who I am now. There have been high points, low points, and everything in between.

I’ve had many opportunities to share my experience with others: I’ve spoken at conferences, written articles for The Fix and many other online publications, been interviewed by WIRED, and been a guest on numerous podcasts and radio programs. I’ve felt scared and vulnerable sharing my stories and experiences, but on each of these occasions I’ve been rewarded with community support and increased accountability. Inevitably someone reaches out to thank me, in person or virtually. I believe this human bond we create through sharing is critical for all who struggle with addiction.

In this post, I am commemorating my fifth sober anniversary with a reflection on five lessons I’ve learned. Holy shit! Did you read that? I’ve been sober for five years. I didn’t know I could make it five days, let alone one year. I would have laughed if someone told me I’d make it five years. Wasn’t I just pulling a typical Victor and waiting for the fallout from one of my drunken rampages to calm down? Turns out I am able to stick with something.

I’ve spent most of the last five years examining myself and reflecting on life. One thing is clear, I am full of contradictory thoughts and actions. We all are. As famed American poet (and proponent of being naked in nature) Walt Whitman wrote in Song of Myself:

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

You will see my contradictions here and elsewhere. Let’s jump in to the lessons.

1. Recovery Does Not Equal Recovered

I still have cravings for alcohol. I still need to remove myself from situations that make me feel out of control. My life is not perfect and I’m not all better. I have the same shit, the same trials and temptations to deal with, but now I address them as a sober person. I don’t believe in full recovery – not for myself. I’ll define recovered as either a complete lack of interest in drinking or the ability to drink in moderation with no chance of falling back into abuse.

I’m aware some people identify as recovered and no longer have issues. I don’t dispute their recovery but I have enough self-awareness to know this has yet to occur for me. My thoughts when I crave alcohol are to feel drunk, to overconsume, to try one more time for the elusive buzz I spent over 10 years unsuccessfully chasing. To stay successful in recovery, I need an in recovery–not recovered–mindset.

2. Sobriety Is What You Make of It

Sobriety without additional work has a limited impact on your life. It might be a huge impact, but the ceiling extends drastically upward when you combine it with additional work on yourself. Alcohol abuse wasn’t the only issue I had and being sober allows me to begin addressing these underlying issues. I’ve needed to continue working on myself beyond sobriety. I have areas of deficiency I’ll need to work on for years, if not forever. For the sake of brevity, I’ll refrain from listing these.

Sobriety (from alcohol) at its most basic level is a period of time spent not drinking. I understand why many people commit to the day at a time mindset. You need to have small, achievable time frames to get through cravings, days which you spend refocusing, creating healthier habits, rebuilding or building a new life, and building your support system. Simply staying sober will heal your body. Staying sober while learning and growing will heal your mind as well.

I haven’t always been successful at doing more than staying sober. In fact, I’ve recently gone through a year or so of backsliding when it comes to handling my anxiety and mental health and building social support, which has resulted in some drastic negative changes in some of my closest relationships. However, I have stayed sober and this has allowed me to correct my course. I’ve become proactive in using techniques to manage anxiety and I’ve pushed myself to develop new and deeper relationships with positive people who support me. I’m seeking new opportunities to grow in the right direction.

3. Sobriety Is My Soulmate

Sound dramatic? How about, sobriety is my rock? Sobriety is my better half? Sobriety is the one thing that has been there for me every single day for five years. Sometimes I didn’t want it around and sometimes I’ve had to fight to keep it. I’ve gained and lost a number of things over the past five years but sobriety is the one consistent positive presence in my life. I get to choose every day whether I want to keep my sobriety or not. Choosing yes for another day deepens my commitment and strengthens the neural pathways that help me resist temptation.

When I reflect on this choice I’ve made every day for five years, I realize sobriety is a limitless resource, readily available for anyone who needs it. I won’t run out of sobriety one day if someone else becomes sober. I won’t run out of sobriety if 500,000 people become sober. Sobriety can be everyone’s soulmate simultaneously.

Sobriety won’t leave me if I slip up. These five years are made up of a string of days where I’ve made the same choice. If I had chosen to drink on any of these days, sobriety wouldn’t be any less available to me; I could have come back the following day. In that sense, five years is meaningless. Regardless of what stage you’re at, or even if you’re just thinking about it – sobriety will be there when you’re ready for it. Sobriety won’t judge you. Sobriety doesn’t care if you had a drink yesterday, or if you’ll have another drink in a week.

4. Drunk Conversations Are Toxic to Everyone

I remember being the drunk who shared my philosophy of the world with anyone who’d listen. I was so smart, my insight incomparable, my language spot on. If only I could hold on to that level of confidence when I’d sober up the next day, I’d show everyone how great I was. Yet I could never muster the words or confidence when I wasn’t drunk. In sobriety, I see drunk conversations as absurd, pathetic, or sad at best. Few sober people would say the words that so comfortably spill out of the mouths of drunks.

I still frequent bars and venues where alcohol is a focus and I still encounter plenty of drunk conversations. They fall into three categories:
1. Drunk with plans to conquer the world. You have the ultimate plan and you know how to execute it. If only the rest of us were as excited as you are about it. You’re going to pass out before you can start making progress.
2. Drunk with plans to conquer their date. This is disgusting. You are seducing your date with slurred words and poorly veiled references to sex. They are looking around to assess their exit strategy. Hopefully you don’t throw up on them.
3. Drunks who are sad, whiny, or complaining about life. Bartenders find themselves having to support these conversations unless it’s a group of drunks and then it becomes a contest over who is the most aggrieved. Sometimes these folks end the night with fighting or violence. Regardless of how tough you talk or how many people you fight, drunk shit-talking still boils down to being a sad, whiny loser.
I’ve written these three conversations out using a judgmental tone. And while I am judging, I am also aware that I’ve been an active contributor to each type of drunk conversation on dozens of occasions. I’ve done my part to give others uncomfortable experiences. I apologize for that and hope some of my work in sobriety has atoned for some of what I’ve done.

5. Being Vulnerable Without Alcohol is More Authentic and More Rewarding

I had what I refer to as diarrhea mouth when I would get drunk. I couldn’t stop talking. Alcohol was a truth serum for me: I could get drunk and tell you exactly what I was thinking and feeling. I could express elation, I could express sorrow. I could tell you I hate your fucking guts. The words came easy (see my previous lesson!). Speaking the truth while being vulnerable without alcohol is more difficult, but it’s also more authentic.

I now pause before I share my thoughts and feelings. I have coherent thoughts during this pause where I calculate whether what I’m saying might be harmful to others. I also consider if what I’m saying leaves me exposed to criticism or hurt. This pause didn’t exist when I was drunk. I’m also fighting my natural tendency to withdraw from being social during the pause. Sober Victor is someone who is less comfortable sharing what is happening inside of him. I still end up saying hurtful things or oversharing in ways that might make others feel uncomfortable, but I am aware of and accept the consequences.

My vulnerability extends beyond what I say. Writing exposes me to criticism in the form of online comments or posts in other forums. Opening myself up to written criticism from others is a reversal of how I used writing as a drunk. I used my writing to hurt people: mean texts, drunken Facebook posts, belligerent emails, and even hand-written letters were a hallmark of my absurd drunken behavior. Again, I hope the words I write now to share what I’ve learned provide some atonement for the words I’ve written to hurt people.

Here is a sixth bonus lesson. I plan to write more about this in the near future. My reflection on my history of alcohol use has led me to conclude:

6. I’ve Abused Alcohol Since My First Encounter

I didn’t progressively become an alcohol abuser. Yes, my abuse became worse, but I abused from the beginning. I’m fairly certain I’ve never had a single healthy experience using alcohol. If you can relate to this, consider stopping your drinking until you can figure out if you do have an issue.

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye. I had no concept of what five years would be like when I first stopped drinking and I’m not sure I fully understand or appreciate the magnitude of this accomplishment. I’m not sure I’d have been healthy or alive to write this if I hadn’t found sobriety.

What do I see for the next five years? I’m committed to staying sober and I’ll need to make some adjustments to accomplish this. I have recommitted to seeking support in the form of healthy relationships with other sober people, attending support groups, journaling, and practicing mindfulness. My sobriety is not on cruise control. I also intend to stay an active contributor to The Fix and other relevant publications; I find it helps me stay accountable.

Thank you for reading this post. Thank you for being part of my journey. Please share this with anyone who might find it useful.

View the original article at thefix.com
15 April 2019
"Soberchella" Kicks Off in Coachella Valley

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the sober community at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival kicks off today in Indio, California. It’s probably safe to say that there will be plenty of drugs and alcohol to go around—but if that’s not your thing, you’re not alone.

In the nearly 20 years of Coachella’s existence, Soberchella—a small but growing sober community at the festival—has been around for 10 of them. This year, it is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The two-weekend festival will feature performances by Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, Janelle Monáe, the 1975, Kid Cudi, Khalid, Aphex Twin, Weezer, and more.

Last year, we discussed the roots of the growing movement with Soberchella co-founder Joseph G. This time around, neither he nor his fellow co-founders will be making the trip to Indio. They’ve passed the torch to a dedicated group of volunteers to carry on Soberchella’s mission—to provide sober support and fellowship to festivalgoers.

“People are so grateful to find us before they arrive,” Joey W of Los Angeles, who is part of the new team running Soberchella, tells The Fix. This is her third Soberchella.

“We have a wide variety of Soberchellians, from 70-year-old dancing hippies with 90 days of sobriety who come back a year later still sober, to sober mothers and daughters, ex-gang members, stagehands and Coachella food servers—you name it,” she continued. “People with more than two decades of sobriety down to two days with new perfect strangers and repeat friends, with one thing in common—to have fun and stay sober at Coachella.”

Joey W, who is 10 years sober, is largely responsible for getting the sober community back on its feet. “It was starting to stagger, and I just want to revitalize it and try and make it really thrive into the next decade,” she said.

Joey W started by ramping up outreach efforts and getting the word out to meetings and support groups worldwide. “We really wanted to beef up the outreach and let AA/NA and all other 12-step programs know we’re here,” she said.

In addition to the noon meetings that Soberchella is known for, there will be additional meet-ups at various sets throughout the festival. And if that’s not enough, they also provide information on meetings and support outside of the festival.

“We also have helped people connect out-of-town travelers with other sober people for meetings in Vegas, LA and the desert,” says Joey W. “One of our Soberchellians’ wife got really sick and he gifted his tickets to another member on our GroupMe Chain who wasn’t able to afford tickets. And they had never met in person. How cool is that?”

And fielding last-minute calls from fellow festivalgoers in need of support is typical at the festival, she adds. “I hope it has helped someone stay sober another day.”

Another team member, Fred E from the OC, is helping out for the first time this year, though this will be his 10th Coachella. With 12 years sober, he says that the meetings at the festival are as meaningful to him as the performances. “The amount of gratitude and euphoria that I feel sitting in those meetings with the thump of the bass in the background rivals many experiences that I barely remember from before I got sober,” he tells The Fix.

Soberchella’s presence at the festival is vital to its members, who hail from all backgrounds. They have one shared goal: to listen to good music, have a good time, and to do it all while maintaining sobriety.

“No matter who people are coming to see, why people come, or what stage of sobriety people are in, we are all excited to party, listen to music, and have a complete escape from the real world. We are all here to help support people being able to have maximum fun in an environment that can be dangerous for some of us,” says Fred E.

Kurt G went to his first Coachella back in 2010, with just 22 months of sobriety. After doing a quick “sober at Coachella” Google search, the rest was history. Now 10 years sober, he’s been attending the annual music festival for pretty much his entire recovery.

“Coachella is an amazing experience but it can be treacherous ground for a sober person to walk,” Kurt G tells The Fix. “I love live music and I love the excitement and joy it brings me and to the other 99,000 of my newfound friends here on the polo fields.”

“For a lot of attendees, it’s a drug- and booze-fueled party and that can be a scary place for me and my sober brothers and sisters,” he continued. “Attending the Soberchella meetings through the years, I’ve met some old-timers and I’ve met a person that had literally 3 days—a noon meeting sometimes doesn’t seem like enough. For that moment though, we can be candid, we can listen, we can be of service, and we keep coming back.”

If you would like to learn more about Soberchella, visit Soberchella.com.

View the original article at thefix.com

13 April 2019
New Jersey Governor Issues Ultimatum Over Recreational Pot

Governor Phil Murphy is giving lawmakers until May to approve recreational marijuana…or else.

After a failed effort to get recreational marijuana passed during his first 100 days in office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy told lawmakers this week that they have until May to approve recreational marijuana, or he will expand the state’s medical marijuana program by executive order.

“We’re not going to wait around a lot. I’m prepared to hold off for a short amount of time, but we’re holding back enormous demand for more access” Murphy said, according to the Asbury Park Press. “I’m still confident we can get it done legislatively and I’m prepared and certainly open-minded and quite supportive for the Legislature to go back at it and find those last couple of votes we didn’t quite get. But that can’t be an unending calendar.”

Murphy, a Democrat, has been a vocal advocate for marijuana reform in the state. However, in March a vote to legalize marijuana in New Jersey was cancelled because lawmakers could not gather enough votes to ensure that the measure would pass.

“Certainly, I’m disappointed, but we are not defeated,” Murphy told The New York Times then. “Justice may be delayed, but justice will not be denied.”

Now, votes on marijuana legalization are scheduled for the end of May in the state Senate and Assembly.

“I think it’s possible we can get this done in May,” state Sen. Nick Scutari, a Democrat in favor of legalization said. “But we can’t pass it unless we have the votes.”

Bill Caruso, who is a leader in calling for marijuana reform in the state and a board member for New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform, said that postponing the vote was a smart choice.

He said, ”If they had another day, they would have been there. That’s how close it was. But I think a wise decision was made to hold off. There was such a short time between some very good and very substantive changes to this bill that confused a lot of folks. So they made a wise decision to stop trying to push it through.”

Caruso said that it’s important that marijuana is legalized through a legislative vote, because that will ensure that the bill’s social justice components are passed. A public referendum would simply allow voters to select yes or no, essentially starting over on the legislative process of drafting the law.

He said, ”When you vote on this legislatively, you get to telegraph everything you’re going to do in the bill. If the Legislature is just given a blank check by the voters, people would be motivated for different reasons. We have the luxury of making this very difficult decision and looking at it in a global way. There is a need to get this right.”

View the original article at thefix.com

13 April 2019
Discontinuing Opioids Too Quickly Can Be Harmful, FDA Warns

The FDA issued guidance to help address the issue of opioid-dependent patients discontinuing or tapering off too quickly and becoming sick.

Since the national crackdown on prescription opioids, many pain patients have been forced to taper their dose of painkillers. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is warning doctors that tapering too quickly can have unintended and dangerous consequences.

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received reports of serious harm in patients who are physically dependent on opioid pain medicines suddenly having these medicines discontinued or the dose rapidly decreased,” the agency said in a statement. “These include serious withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled pain, psychological distress, and suicide.”

The FDA issued guidance to help address the problem.

“These changes will provide expanded guidance to health care professionals on how to safely decrease the dose in patients who are physically dependent on opioid pain medicines when the dose is to be decreased or the medicine is to be discontinued,” the agency wrote.

The agency said that providers should make an individualized plan for patients who need to taper off opioids, and should never stop the pain pills suddenly. The plan should take into consideration the type of opioid and dosage, as well as the patient’s pain and psychological concerns.

“Create a patient-specific plan to gradually taper the dose of the opioid and ensure ongoing monitoring and support, as needed, to avoid serious withdrawal symptoms, worsening of the patient’s pain, or psychological distress,” the FDA wrote.

The agency also warned that patients should not discontinue opioids without talking to their providers. They should be candid about any side effects they have as their dose of opioids is being tapered.

“Even when the opioid dose is decreased gradually, you may experience symptoms of withdrawal,” the agency warned. “Contact your health care professional if you experience increased pain, withdrawal symptoms, changes in your mood, or thoughts of suicide.”

Although many public health officials applaud efforts to reduce the amount of opioids prescribed, pain patients say that the regulations have gone too far, and have left vulnerable pain patients unprotected.

Speaking with The Fix last fall, Lauren DeLuca, a pain patient and founder of the Chronic Illness Advocacy and Awareness Group, said that not being able to access pain medications can be devastating for patients. She said she regularly hears from pain patients who are not able to access enough medications to alleviate their symptoms. Sometimes, these people begin to consider suicide.

“It is borderline genocide,” she said. “You are allowing them to go home and essentially suffer until they kill themselves.”

View the original article at thefix.com

12 April 2019
Does Moderate Alcohol Consumption Increase Health Risks?

Researchers explored a possible connection between moderate alcohol consumption and increased stroke risk.

A comprehensive study on the health effects of alcohol consumption has produced data that may debunk former research which suggested that a daily drink could reduce one’s risk of stroke.

The study, published last Thursday in The Lancet, used genetics and a sample population of over 500,000 people to answer questions raised by previous results. Recent studies have found that “moderate drinkers” seemed to have a lower risk of stroke and heart attack, but it was unclear if this data was affected by the fact that those who already have health problems tend to avoid alcohol.

This latest study, co-authored by Zhengming Chen of the University of Oxford, got past this obstacle by testing a population of Chinese adults that researchers followed for 10 years. People with Chinese ancestry have a high likelihood of carrying a genetic intolerance to alcohol and are therefore already likely to avoid it.

Chinese women in particular only reported drinking “most weeks” 2% of the time. In this population, consuming four drinks per day increased stroke risk by 35%.

Alcohol is known to increase blood pressure, which can increase the risk of stroke. The results on heart attack risk were described as “less clear-cut,” but the study’s conclusion states that alcohol consumption “appears in this one study to have little net effect on the risk of myocardial infarction.”

“Although alcohol increases blood pressure, we identified no clear net association with acute myocardial infarction, but the number of cases was limited,” the study concludes. “The number of strokes, however, was substantial, and the genetic epidemiological analyses show that alcohol intake uniformly increases blood pressure, ischaemic stroke, and haemorrhagic stroke.”

Alcohol consumption is considered to be one of the top leading causes of death and disability in the world, causing or contributing to 2.8 million deaths each year. However, recent studies on alcohol and health seemed to show that drinking in moderation, especially drinking red wine, had some health benefits. In spite of this, the American Heart Association still recommended against moderate drinking due to the various health risks it poses. They also acknowledge the limitations of studies suggesting heart health benefits from alcohol.

“The linkage reported in many of these studies may be due to other lifestyle factors rather than alcohol,” the AHA website reads. “Such factors may include increased physical activity, and a diet high in fruits and vegetables and lower in saturated fats. No direct comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.”

View the original article at thefix.com

12 April 2019