Author: The Fix

SAMHSA’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit Gets An Update

The refreshed online resource offers a variety of strategies, information and advice on how to prevent opioid overdoses.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has updated its Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit, which contains resources about opioid overdose prevention.

The toolkit is divided into various sections, depending on the target audience.

The beginning outlines the opioid crisis and strategies that can be implemented to minimize overdose deaths. Such strategies include encouraging people to learn how to prevent/manage an opioid overdose, making sure there is access to treatment, having naloxone be easily accessible, encouraging the public to call 911, and encouraging those prescribing medications to utilize state prescription drug monitoring programs.

Five Essential Steps For First Responders

The guide then shifts into a section geared toward first responders and outlines five steps that they should take. The steps include evaluating a person for signs of an overdose, calling 911, giving naloxone, supporting the person’s breathing and monitoring their response. The guide also warns that what appears to be an overdose can sometimes be something else.

“If a person does not respond to naloxone, an alternative explanation for the clinical symptoms should be considered,” the guide states. “The most likely explanation is that the person is not overdosing on an opioid but rather some other substance or may be experiencing a non-overdose medical emergency.”

Information For Prescribers

The guide also has a section geared toward prescribers, which outlines 12 prescribing recommendations split into three categories: determining when to initiate or continue opioids for chronic pain; opioid selection, dosage, duration, follow-up and discontinuation; and assessing risk and addressing harms of opioid use.

“When potentially harmful behaviors are identified (e.g., high-volume use of opioids; taking opioids in combination with alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other respiratory depressants; using illicit opioids where contents of substance cannot be confirmed), it is important to offer education that can reduce that individual’s risk for overdose,” the guide states. “Providing basic risk reduction messaging, overdose prevention education, and a naloxone prescription can be lifesaving interventions.”

The guide also covers legal and liability topics, as well as claims coding and billing for prescribers.

Safety Advice For Patients & Family Members

This section is geared toward patients and family members of patients and covers an array of topics, from the signs of an overdose to preventing an overdose.

It also outlines best practices for naloxone use and storage.

“Store naloxone in a safe and quickly accessible place at room temperature and protected from light,” the guide reads. “Keep all medicine in a safe place where children or pets cannot reach it.”

Recovering From Opioid Overdose

This is the section for those in recovery from opioid overdose.

“Survivors of opioid overdose have experienced a life-changing and traumatic event,” the guide states. “They have had to deal with the emotional consequences of overdosing, which can involve embarrassment, guilt, anger, and gratitude, all accompanied by the discomfort of opioid withdrawal. Most need the support of family and friends to take the next steps toward recovery.”

The guide talks the user through why support is vital in recovery and also has a lengthy list of helpful resources at the end.

View the original article at thefix.com

14 June 2018
Can Psychedelics Really Help Fight Addiction And Depression?

New research explored whether psychedelics can “rewire the brain” and potentially cure a number of ailments.

New research reinforces the idea of psychedelics’ potential to treat depression, substance use disorder and more, according to Science Daily.

“People have long assumed that psychedelics are capable of altering neuronal structure, but this is the first study that clearly and unambiguously supports that hypothesis,” said lead author David Olson of the University of California, Davis.

When a person is experiencing depression, anxiety, substance use disorder or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), their neurites are affected. Neurites facilitate communication between neurons by bridging the gap between two neurons at the synapse, the point of communication. (Neurites become axons and dendrites.)

However, when a person is suffering from any of the above, their neurites are not as active. “One of the hallmarks of depression is that the neurites in the prefrontal cortex—a key brain region that regulates emotion, mood, and anxiety—those neurites tend to shrivel up,” said Olson.

But the research, published in the journal Cell Reports, observed that the psychedelics tested—LSD, DMT, MDMA, DOI (an amphetamine)— had the opposite effect.

Instead, they promoted neurite growth, increasing both the density of dendritic spines and the density of synapses. In other words, the psychedelics had a positive effect on the brain’s neural plasticity, by making neurons more likely to branch out and connect with one another, according to Science Daily.

The research observed these effects in rats and flies, but Olson and his team predict that the psychedelics will have the same effects in humans.

“These are some of the most powerful compounds known to affect brain function, it’s very obvious to me that we should understand how they work,” said Olson.

The findings offer a greater variety of potential antidepressant therapies. Previously, ketamine has shown promise in treating depression and suicidal ideation.

According to Science Daily, some of the psychedelics tested in Olson’s research, including LSD, were even more effective than ketamine in promoting neural plasticity.

“Ketamine is no longer our only option. Our work demonstrates that there are a number of distinct chemical scaffolds capable of promoting plasticity like ketamine, providing additional opportunities for medicinal chemists to develop safer and more effective alternatives,” said Olson.

View the original article at thefix.com

14 June 2018
Lady Gaga Gives Passionate Speech About Mental Health

“I have struggled for a long time, both being public and not public about my mental health issues… But I truly believe that secrets keep you sick.”

Lady Gaga joined her mother on stage at the 10th annual Children Mending Hearts Empathy Rocks fundraiser on Sunday (June 10), where she presented her mother Cynthia Germanotta with the Global Changemakers Award for her role as co-founder of the Born This Way Foundation.

The mother-daughter team established the foundation in 2012, with the goal of empowering youth by providing “genuine opportunities, quality resources, and platforms to make their voices heard.”

Before presenting her mother with the award, Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) shared her personal stake in the foundation’s work, as well as the driving force behind it.

“I have struggled for a long time, both being public and not public about my mental health issues or my mental illness. But I truly believe that secrets keep you sick,” she said.

The eclectic singer emphasized the importance of kindness. “We [the foundation] bring people together to have real, honest conversations and to be kind. Kindness is not an afterthought to our work. It is the driving power for everything we do,” she said. “To me, almost every problem you can think of can be solved with kindness… Sometimes people think it is weak. It is tremendously powerful.

“It can change the way that we view each other, the way that we view our communities and the way that we work. Even the way that we feel about ourselves, by being kinder to ourselves. We need more kindness in the world.”

She thanked her mother for standing by her through it all, “Thank you, Mom, for not being afraid of my darkest thoughts and for doing what many don’t realize goes very far: just holding my hand and running an organization that helps hold the hands of others and join the hands of others. I love you. Suicidal ideation feels like a spell, and we have to have empathy. Be kind and help each other break the spell and live and thrive.”

Last year, Gaga lent her voice to the Heads Together campaign, the initiative spearheaded by the British Royals—Prince William, Duchess Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry—to de-stigmatize mental illness and encourage people to seek help. The singer video-chatted with Prince William for a promotional video, discussing the importance of caring for one’s mental health and how talking about it can break down the stigma and shame of struggling with it.

Gaga told William that it was gratifying to be able to open up to her fans without shame. “Even though it was hard, it was the best thing that could come out of my mental illness—to share it with other people and let our generation, as well as other generations, know that if you are feeling not well in your mind, you’re not alone. And people that you think would never have a problem, do.”

View the original article at thefix.com

14 June 2018
Elizabeth Vargas On Going Public With Alcoholism And Anxiety

“If I’ve helped one person, I feel really great, but I hear from people daily. That makes me feel like it was worth it to be as brutally honest as I was.”

In 2014, former 20/20 anchor Elizabeth Vargas went public in a series of interviews, sharing her struggles with alcoholism and anxiety. Now she is opening up about the life-changing events that followed her decision to be transparent with her battle.

After the release of her memoir on addiction and anxiety in 2016, Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction, Vargas interviewed with The Fix.

“Every person battling addiction is going through hell,” she said. “There’s still a lot of judgment. People say, ‘You chose to do that.’ But why would anybody choose to destroy themselves and the lives of everybody precious to them?”

Telling People magazine that putting her story out in the world was “one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve done,” Vargas—now the host of a new A&E series Cults and Extreme Belief—reflected on the changes in her life since the publication of her memoir.

“If I’ve helped one person, I feel really great, but I hear from people daily,” she told People. “That makes me feel like it was worth it to be as brutally honest as I was.”

Vargas was so inspired by the positive public response to her story that she now travels the country, speaking out about alcoholism and anxiety. Her hope is to minimize the stigma surrounding those issues, in direct contrast with her feelings during the worst years.

“I felt very alone when I was in the grip of the disease,” she said to People.

Elizabeth Vargas suffered with anxiety from the time she was very small, which worsened as she entered her early forties and after the birth of her son.

In her interview with The Fix, Vargas noted that in research with Diane Sawyer for a 20/20 special, they learned that 63% of women with alcoholism also battle anxiety, and women who struggle with anxiety are at two times the risk of relapse.

Vargas told AARP that her anxiety got so bad that she had experienced an anxiety attack on live television. Unable to pinpoint exactly what the turning point was from alcoholism to sobriety, Vargas now credits meditation, gratitude and her experiences in rehab and therapy, along with the active involvement of her parents and sibling, for her enduring sobriety.

Vargas told CKTV 5 News, “I feel grateful that I could take what was a painful part of my life and make something good out of it.”

View the original article at thefix.com

14 June 2018
6 Tools That Empowered Me to Quit My Lifelong Eating Disorder

There are no simple answers or all-encompassing solutions for the complex state of being that is abstinence from compulsive overeating.

I wouldn’t wish an eating disorder on anyone else, not even on those who bullied me about my weight as a child and adult. Growing up both depriving myself of food regularly and being fat was a dual hell for me, and I’ll never forget the many days walking by the school cafeteria and feeling so hungry, inhaling the aromas, having had no breakfast and no lunch to look forward to eating myself. From the time I went on my first diet at 11 years old, I woke up every morning on a diet for decades; it just didn’t always last through the day. People want to label fat people as lazy or foolish, with no concept of the complexity that actually goes into the eating disorders behind changes in size.

Psychology Today reports that eating disorders are the most dangerous of all psychological disorders, and they bring so much pain along with the physical dangers. However, today I am happily in recovery from my compulsive overeating disorder, and I work to stay that way every day, often relying on the practices that empowered me to quit the eating disorder that plagued me since early childhood. Today, I am walking the road of recovery with the help of these tools.

1. Radical Journaling

Writing in my journal has been a passion of mine since I started a “Little House on the Prairie” diary as a kid. It brings me such joy to express my feelings on paper. In addition to keeping a diary for fun, I engage in what I call radical journaling. I’ve made a commitment to myself to write at least three pages every day, and within those specific three or more pages, I write about the deepest thoughts and feelings I’m having that day. These may include thoughts I have about my old tendency to self-destruct or how I feel about the future. I just try to get out the innermost feelings I have. Getting them out on paper helps me to make sense of things and no longer feel that I’m repressing the pain or longings of the day. That’s especially important for me since repressing my feelings can be a trigger for my old behavior.

2. Being Kind to Myself

Compassion for others has always come easy for me, but I was always extremely hard on myself. The simple notion of being kind to myself was a difficult concept to put into practice. I’d spent so much time berating myself for all the times I’d binged and hurt myself. For my own recovery, I had to learn to be kind and extend compassion to myself. And you know what? When I looked back and delved into the origins of my eating disorder in therapy, it was impossible not to have compassion for my younger self and understand how I’d waged a hard battle against my eating disorder before I had the tools to truly recover.

Professionals agree that finding compassion for oneself is a strong tool for recovery. Carla Korn, LMFT, who specializes in treating those with eating disorders and body image issues, advises, “Have compassion for yourself. Disordered eating develops as a way to help a person cope with uncomfortable feeling and emotions. The eating disorder probably helped you to function when you didn’t know a better way to do so.”

3. Maintaining My Motivation

At the start of my recovery from disordered eating, I was very enthusiastic. I was on a sort of beginner’s high and couldn’t wait to see my progress. That’s how I’d also started every diet of my life, too. I soon remembered that it’s impossible to sustain that level of enthusiasm over the long haul. It’s just not practical. Human nature is such that motivation ebbs and flows. So, to stick with my recovery, I had to figure out ways to maintain my motivation.

4. Eating Regularly

Eating may seem like a darn weird tool for staying abstinent from compulsive overeating, but eating regularly is definitely among the more important things I do for my health and recovery each day. By making sure I eat regularly and don’t skip a lot of meals, I avoid getting too hungry, which triggers me to eat far more than I need.

Stacey Rosenfeld, Ph.D., CGP, CEDS, and author of Does Every Woman Have an Eating Disorder? Challenging Our Nation’s Fixation with Food and Weight, cautions that it is important to eat regular meals and snacks to avoid getting too hungry. Feeling hungry and deprived can trigger eating disorder behaviors.

5. Surrounding Myself with Support

I have a team of people who are there to offer me support, which is a huge blessing. If I’m in crisis, or just need someone to be there for me, I know I can turn to a dear friend who coaches me, a therapist, other friends and loved ones, and support groups.

A variety of support groups are available for compulsive overeating and other eating disorders. Overeaters Anonymous is probably the largest group with meetings all over the country, including online, telephone, and face-to-face meetings. The Overeaters Anonymous website allows you to easily search for a meeting that works for your schedule. Other support groups include Compulsive Eaters Anonymous and SMART recovery groups. If you don’t know where to start, you can contact the helpline at the National Eating Disorders Association at 1-800-931-2237.

6. Making Choices Before Temptation Comes

If I wait to see how I’m going to feel about eating an entire chocolate cake before I am sitting alone in a room with a delectable vegan chocolate cake, I’m probably going to want to scarf it down as quickly as possible at the earliest opportunity. However, if I carefully assess the situation and make a decision about eating the cake beforehand, I am able to pause before the desire to binge and whatever else may be fueling the temptation at the moment take over.

Making advance decisions on how to fill the empty feeling and raw pain that fueled the addictive behavior is crucial to my ongoing recovery. Before I am at an event with that chocolate cake or even if I’m going to have it all to myself, I decide exactly how much I am going to eat and why. That doesn’t mean I won’t eat other, healthier foods at the event if I’m still hungry, but I won’t binge on any of my trigger foods. I know what moderation means to me and I choose that before I’m in the heat of the moment when I may be unable to make any rational decisions.

Finally, I’ve found that there are no simple answers or all-encompassing solutions for the complex state of being that is abstinence from compulsive overeating. However, I do know that not one penny spent on the hugely profitable diet industry got me any closer to releasing the pounds than I was before and that relying on these tools has seen me through some difficult times of my recovery. I believe there is hope for anyone.

View the original article at thefix.com

14 June 2018
Girl Admitted To Rehab For Fortnite Addiction

“This is a serious issue and it is destroying our little girl’s life, and someone needs to step in to ban it before it becomes an epidemic,” said the girl’s mother.

The Daily Mirror is reporting that a nine-year-old girl in England has allegedly been admitted to rehabilitation for a dependency on the hugely popular survival game Fortnite.

The story quoted the girl’s mother, who claimed that her daughter would regularly play the game until dawn, which negatively impacted her grades and health. Her dependency eventually grew so severe that she would not interrupt her gameplay to use the bathroom, prompting her parents to take her to a counselor for “intensive” therapy.

The girl’s story comes on the heels of Culture Minister Matt Hancock declaring video games as “potentially damaging,” a stance that appeared to be supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), which included gaming in a draft of its 2018 list of “disorders due to addictive behavior.”

According to the Mirror, the girl’s parents noted that her personality began to change two months after she downloaded Fortnite on her Xbox. She reportedly began to lose interest in sports, and her teachers contacted the parents about missing homework and other issues.

When the couple confronted the girl, she reportedly became “unusually argumentative”—which they chalked up to “hormones.”

The girl’s mother stated that they discovered small but consistent charges on a credit card—Fortnite is free to download but offers in-app purchases—which caused the girl to lash out and allegedly strike her father when he confronted her.

For the parents, the final straw came when the father found the girl sitting on a urine-soaked cushion while playing the game. “She was so hooked to the game, she wouldn’t even go to the toilet,” claimed the mother.

The girl later confessed that she played the game every night, sometimes until dawn. Her parents contacted Steve Pope, an addiction counselor, who began treating her for the reported dependency. Pope told the Sunday People that hers was not an isolated case.

“Over the last two months, I’ve been contacted by dozens of parents with children as young as eight showing signs of addiction to Fortnite. I’ve been working in this field for three decades and never seen anything like it—how widespread and potentially damaging this is.”

The girl’s mother called for government action to intervene in the growing problem. “This is a serious issue and it is destroying our little girl’s life, and someone needs to step in to ban it before it becomes an epidemic,” she told the Mirror.

A ban against loot boxes—a game feature that allows players to acquire rewards through gameplay or for money—has already taken effect in Belgium, which declared the feature in violation of the country’s gambling legislation.

In comments to the Daily Telegraph, Culture Minister Hancock expressed concern that “too much screen time could have a damaging impact on our children’s lives,” and specifically cited Fortnite as “aggressive” and potentially “addictive.”

Hancock—who had previously voiced support for more active gaming business in the UK—also stated that the British government is working with game publishers and developers to promote safety and allay parental concerns.

Though the WHO has submitted gaming addiction for consideration on its list of addictive disorders (the organization must still approve it for final inclusion), medical professionals are divided on the subject.

Research from 2017 noted that gaming increases dopamine levels twofold, whereas drugs like heroin or cocaine increase the chemical response by ten times that amount.

A 2016 study found that addiction to gaming occurred more frequently in individuals who already showed signs of depression or stress, and video games had become their chosen form of avoiding those feelings.

View the original article at thefix.com

14 June 2018
Opioid Deaths Have Surpassed Vietnam War Fatalities, Study Says

A new study examined the 15-year period from January 2001 to December 2016 to determine the number of American deaths caused by the opioid crisis.

American deaths as a result of the opioid crisis have surpassed those during the Vietnam War, a new study has found.

According to the Washington Post, less than 1% of American deaths in the year 1968 were due to serving in the Vietnam war. Now, a new study has found that in 2016, 1.5% of deaths were at the hands of opioids.

The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the 15-year period from January 2001 to December 2016 to determine the number of American deaths caused by the opioid crisis.

It found that between 2001 and 2016, the number of deaths caused by the opioid crisis rose from 9,489 to 42 ,245—a 345% increase.

According to the study, in 2001, opioids were responsible for 0.4% of deaths, or 1 in 255 people. But 15 years later, in 2016, that rose to 1.5%, or 1 in 65 deaths—a 292% increase. Study authors found that the greatest impact was on those ages 24 to 35, an age group in which 20% of deaths were associated with opioids. Study authors also found that deaths connected to opioids were more prominent in men than women.

In all, study authors estimate that in 2016 alone, nearly 1.7 million years of life were lost in the U.S. population due to the opioid crisis.

“These findings highlight changes in the burden of opioid-related deaths over time and across demographic groups in the United States,” study authors wrote. “They demonstrate the important role of opioid overdose in deaths of adolescents and young adults as well as the disproportionate burden of overdose among men.”

Study findings also indicated that there has been an increase in the number of opioid-related deaths in those 55 and older.

“The relative increase in recent years requires attention, as it could be indicative of an aging population with increasing prevalence of opioid use disorder,” study authors noted. “This is particularly problematic as recent estimates from the United States suggest that the prevalence of opioid misuse among adults aged 50 years and older is expected to double (from 1.2% to 2.4%) between 2004 and 2020.”

Because of the impact on those of younger ages, study authors also indicated that there is a need to put more programs and policies in place.

“Premature death from opioid-related causes imposes an enormous public health burden across the United States,” study authors wrote. “The recent increase in deaths attributable to opioids among those aged 15 to 34 years highlights a need for targeted programs and policies that focus on improved addiction care and harm reduction measures in this high-risk population.”

According to the Post, this research leaned on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, which is thought to underestimate the number of opioid deaths by 20 to 30%, resulting in a “conservative estimate” of the true impact of the crisis.

View the original article at thefix.com

14 June 2018
Bipartisan Bill To Protect States With Legalized Marijuana Gains Traction

The bill would allow states to determine “the best approach to marijuana within [their own] borders.”

Though Attorney General Jeff Sessions continues to wage war against marijuana, President Donald Trump has said that he is willing to support bipartisan legislation that would allow states to determine their own rules regarding the legalization and regulation of marijuana.

The bill was introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), who, as High Times noted, have taken distinctly opposite stances regarding marijuana in their respective states. But the pair has united over federal cannabis prohibition, which they view as impugning on not only states’ rights to determine their own laws, but also the legal cannabis industry’s ability to access safe banking and insurance.

Their efforts appear to have earned a positive response from Trump, who told reporters that he would “probably” support the bill.

The bill, called the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States, or STATES Act, would allow individual states, Washington, D.C., U.S. territories and federally recognized tribes to determine for themselves “the best approach to marijuana within [their own] borders.”

This would be accomplished by amending the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) so that those states or tribes that comply with basic protection would be considered exempt from federal law regarding the “manufacture, production, possession, dispensation, administration, or delivery of marijuana.”

The STATES Act would also remove industrial hemp from the CSA, and would implement several “common-sense guardrails” to ensure that states continue to regulate marijuana in a “safe and respectful manner” that is compliant with federal standards. These include prohibiting individuals under the age of 18 to work in marijuana operations and preventing sale or distribution of marijuana to individuals under the age of 21 for reasons other than medical purposes.

Additionally, and most crucially for legal cannabis business, the bill would allow federally insured banks to do business with such entities.

In a statement, Senator Warren wrote, “The federal government needs to get out of the business of outlawing marijuana.” She added that current federal laws have negatively impacted the criminal justice system, scientific research and economic development, while states like Massachusetts have implemented commonsense marijuana legislation that has supported these categories. “They have the right to enforce their own marijuana policies,” she wrote.

Senator Gardner took similar aim at government policies in his statement while focusing his argument on states’ rights issues.

“The federal government is closing its eyes and plugging its ears while 46 states have acted,” he wrote. “The bipartisan, commonsense bill ensures the federal government will respect the will of the voters—whether that is legalization or prohibition—and not interfere in an states’ legal marijuana industry.”

At a press conference on June 6, President Trump said that he knew “exactly what [Senator Gardner’s] doing,” and “probably will end up supporting” the STATES Act.

Given Trump’s penchant for spur-of-the-moment decisions that often take his cabinet and party by surprise, it remains unclear whether he will ultimately voice approval for the bill, but the statement flies in the face of Attorney General Sessions’ stance on marijuana, which was crystallized in a January 2018 memo granting federal prosecutors the “necessary tools” to crack down on cannabis.

View the original article at thefix.com

13 June 2018
"Clear My Record" Project To Help Expunge 250,000 Marijuana Convictions

San Francisco is partnering with tech-nonprofit Code for America to expedite the difficult expungement process.

A new initiative aims to speed up the process of expunging a marijuana conviction from a person’s criminal record, with the ambitious goal of clearing 250,000 marijuana convictions by 2019.

It’s only right. Nine states and Washington, D.C. have legalized marijuana for adult use, while 29 states and D.C. allow the medical use of marijuana. Marijuana has already yielded a booming multibillion-dollar industry, with no sign of slowing down.

Yet, a marijuana conviction can still be a barrier to employment, housing and other benefits.

“In a human way, when you see the problem up close it becomes a moral imperative to solve it,” said Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America.

In January, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced that his office will be retroactively applying Proposition 64—the law that made cannabis legal in California for adult use—to thousands of misdemeanor and felony convictions dating back to 1975.

Specifically, the DA’s office said it would review, recall and resentence “up to 4,940 felony marijuana convictions and dismiss and seal 3,038 misdemeanors” which were sentenced prior to cannabis legalization in California.

The initiative will be helped by the Clear My Record program, a project of Code for America, a non-profit organization that uses technology to tackle local issues by teaming up with state and city governments.

Clear My Record recognizes that the process of expunging one’s low-level and non-violent marijuana conviction “is a very bad one”—bogged down by paperwork, the cost of hiring legal support, and a whole lot of waiting, according to Pahlka.

Hoping to facilitate this process, Clear My Record has simplified the application process for people seeking expungement with the help of technology. Its goal is to expand the program and ultimately clear 250,000 marijuana convictions by 2019.

“That number is an estimate assuming we get a certain number of counties to come onboard showing the same sort of leadership that DA Gascón has shown,” said Pahlka, according to Mashable. “And I would think it’s a high likelihood. It’s ambitious and I’m excited about it. I also don’t want to stop there.”

The ultimate goal is to right the wrongs of the drug war. “While drug policy on the federal level is going backward, San Francisco is once again taking the lead to undo the damage that this country’s disastrous, failed drug war has had on our nation and on communities of color in particular,” said Gascón in his January statement. “So instead of waiting for the community to take action, we’re taking action for the community.”

Learn how Clear My Record works.

View the original article at thefix.com

13 June 2018
"Deadliest Catch" Star Dies, Drugs Reportedly Found On Scene

Police discovered a “black substance” and “white crystal substance” near Blake Painter’s body, which they reportedly believe to be heroin and meth.

Substances that resemble heroin and methamphetamine were found at the scene of Captain Blake Painter’s death in late May. While Painter’s official cause of death is to be determined following a toxicology test and autopsy, the findings, coupled with his drug use history, so far point to a fatal drug overdose.

The 38-year-old expert crab fisherman, who appeared on season 2 and part of season 3 of the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch, was discovered in his home in Astoria, Oregon, on May 25. According to police, “It appeared he had been dead for several days.”

It’s now being reported that police discovered drugs and a “small pipe” around Painter at the time. “Located on the couch were two pill bottles. One pill bottle was labeled Tramadol and contained the same. The other bottle was found to have an assortment of pills inside,” a police report stated. “On the table, I located a straw or pipe, tinfoil with brown residue and a small Altoids container.”

Police discovered a “black substance” and “white crystal substance” inside the container, which, according to TMZ, they believe to be heroin and methamphetamine.

There was no evidence of foul play.

Painter was arrested this past January in Astoria and charged with “driving under the influence of intoxicants, unlawful possession of heroin, tampering with physical evidence and reckless driving,” according to the Daily Astorian. A police officer “allegedly saw Painter smoking the drug while driving” at the time.

In a 2013 feature “Sharecroppers of the Sea,” Seattle Weekly describes the taxing physicality of being a fisherman. “These days [Painter] wakes up in the morning with his hands clamped closed and pain screaming up to his elbows, an ailment fishermen refer to as ‘the claw.’ He needs surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome, and his shoulders and back have also fared poorly.”

It’s no secret that drug abuse is rife in the fishing industry, but it’s not just to numb the pain of the physically demanding nature of the job.

According to the Portland Press Herald, which covered Maine’s lobstering industry over on the East Coast, rather than the need to numb the pain of work injuries, “doctors, counselors and recovering addicts say… [most fishermen who use heroin] try it because it looks fun, because they’re bored and because it’s everywhere.”

One lobsterman, Tristan Nelson, is recovering from 20 years of heroin use. “I was just one more junkie on a lobster boat, counting down the hours until I could get my cash, until I could score,” he told the Herald. “All those years I didn’t even realize that I had the best job in the world… What a waste.”

View the original article at thefix.com

13 June 2018