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Tag: Massachusetts

  • In Massachusetts, Opioid Deaths Decline For Second Year

    In Massachusetts, Opioid Deaths Decline For Second Year

    Officials applaud the state’s progress but acknowledge that there’s still a long way to go in the fight against the opioid crisis.

    Officials in Massachusetts are celebrating after state figures showed that opioid overdose deaths declined for the second year in a row, which officials say is due to interventions throughout the state that limit access to opioid prescriptions, increase access to opioid-overdose reversal drugs, and help connect people with treatment for opioid use disorder. 

    The data, which includes confirmed and estimated deaths from opioid overdoses, showed that 1,974 Bay Staters died from opioids in 2018, down about 4% from 2017. Between 2016 and 2017 there was a 2% decline in overdose deaths. 

    Monica Bharel, Department of Public Health Commissioner, told WGBH she was pleased with the progress and hopes that opioid overdose deaths continue to decline. 

    “When you look from 2016 to now, we are making progress. We are making progress and fighting this devastating opioid epidemic. We’ve seen a 6% decrease, we know the efforts we have in place are beginning to work, and importantly, to me, from a public health point of view, we have to continue our sustained work to bring those deaths down further.”

    Since Massachusetts improved its Prescription Monitoring System in 2015, there has been a 35% decline in Schedule II prescriptions, which include opioids. Gov. Charlie Baker praised this in a statement, while acknowledging that there is a long way to go. 

    “While we are encouraged to see fewer opioid-related overdose deaths for a second consecutive year and a 35% decrease in reported opioid prescriptions since 2015, the opioid epidemic continues to present a very serious challenge that is made more difficult due to the presence of fentanyl,” the governor said. 

    Although the progress is positive, there were some dire statistics released. Fentanyl is now present in 89% of opioid deaths in the state, up from less than 30% in 2014.

    Among people aged 25-34 opioids account for a staggering 40% of all deaths. In that demographic, opioid overdoses are still increasing. In addition, overdose deaths are increasing among black men. 

    Bharel said that the state needs to focus on these groups. 

    “For us at the state level and also at the community level, that gives us the opportunity to say, ‘Let’s make sure we’re engaging and investing in every community,’” she said. “There are some of us who are at highest risk. We want to make sure our work focuses on them.”

    That includes education, she added, particularly about synthetic opioids. 

    “One of the most important public health interventions is awareness and education. When people are using illicit drugs, they have to be aware of fentanyl, that fentanyl is deadly, that fentanyl is present in almost all of the opioid deaths right now.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Man Who Shared Drugs That Caused Fatal Overdose Appeals Conviction

    Man Who Shared Drugs That Caused Fatal Overdose Appeals Conviction

    Two friends pooled money to buy heroin. Should the one who made the run be held responsible for the other’s fatal overdose?

    In October 2013, Jesse Carillo, a college student at the University of Massachusetts, headed south to New York, where he purchased heroin before returning to campus. Back at home he shared the drugs with his friend Eric Sinacori.

    Two days later, Carillo made the same run, and again brought drugs back for Sinacori. The next day, Sinacori died at age 20 from a heroin overdose. 

    Carillo was charged in connection with the overdose, and sentenced to a year in jail for involuntary manslaughter and drug distribution. However, he appealed his conviction and on Monday (Feb. 4) the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts heard the case over whether people should face charges when the drugs they share lead to a fatal overdose. 

    “When Jesse and another addict pooled their funds to purchase this heroin, it should not constitute manslaughter when the other addict overdosed,” Jay Carney, Carrillo’s lawyer, told The Boston Globe before the hearing. “We are asking the SJC to reassess the approaches taken in heroin cases given the opiate crisis in Massachusetts… These addicts should not be treated the same as drug dealers selling heroin for profit.”

    Before the SJC, Carney emphasized that Carrillo, who now works at a recovery center, was not criminally responsible for his friend’s overdose.

    “Jesse Carrillo was not a drug dealer. He didn’t profit from getting Eric the heroin, he didn’t benefit in any way. He just pooled the money, went to the dealer, purchased it, and gave Eric exactly what he had paid for,” the lawyer said, according to WBUR. 

    In Massachusetts, officials including the governor and attorney general have called for stricter penalties for people who provide the drugs that lead to an overdose. However, Carney insisted that these calls should focus on dealers, not people like Carillo who merely purchased the drugs for friends. 

    “I realize that I raised the hackles of the attorney general, who filed an amicus brief saying heroin is wicked bad. It’s wicked bad. We know that,” Carillo said. “What we have to determine is, is a person acting as a possessor of heroin when he buys heroin in a joint venture with another person?”

    Justice Scott Kafker seemed to take the point, especially since Carillo and Sinacori had purchased drugs together before from the same dealer that they used in October 2013. 

    “He’s bought this heroin multiple times, used it himself, he’s not died on any of these occasions. Isn’t that about as safe a drug delivery as we’re going to hear about when you’re dealing with heroin?” Kafker said. 

    However, Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Von Flatern, who was prosecuting the case, said that Carillo was acting recklessly by supplying drugs to someone with a severe addiction. The case hinges on whether Carillo was acting in a “wanton and reckless” manner by giving Sinacori the drugs. 

    Around the country, drug users often face charges when the people they are using with overdose. In Massachusetts, the case is expected to have policy implications when the SJC issues a ruling, which is expected within 130 days.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Inadequate Mental Health Treatment Hinders Massachusetts Residents

    Inadequate Mental Health Treatment Hinders Massachusetts Residents

    Only about 50% of Massachusetts mental health providers accept payment from the state and federal Medicaid program. Private insurance isn’t much better.

    Patients in Massachusetts are struggling to receive adequate mental health care but not because of lack of insurance coverage. 

    The Boston Globe reports that based on a new Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation survey of 2,201 residents, more than half recently sought mental health or substance use disorder treatment but had difficulty receiving such treatment.

    Of those surveyed, 39% went without treatment altogether and about 13% resorted to an emergency room visit even though about half of those admitted that their care was not an emergency. 

    Though insured, the majority of patients struggled to find care because certain providers did not take their insurance or because practices were not accepting new clients at the time. 

    In October, the Globe reported that Massachusetts was home to more mental health care providers per capita than any other US state. It also has more psychiatrists than any other state, with the exception of Washington, DC, and more child psychiatrists than all states but Rhode Island and DC. 

    Even so, residents of the state are struggling. According to The Globe, only about 50% of Massachusetts providers accept payment from the state and federal Medicaid program. And private insurance isn’t much better, as only about half the psychiatrists in the Northeast accept it. 

    Audrey Shelto, president of the foundation that conducted the survey, told The Globe that this was the first time since the survey began a decade ago that it asked about mental health and substance use disorder treatment access.  

    “If change is going to happen at the magnitude that’s needed, it’s going to be necessary that we start building a more solid evidence base,” Shelto said.

    According to Shelto and others in the field, one possible solution would be paying psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers more, because private insurers and Medicaid currently do not pay them enough. Those in the practice also spend a great deal of time on applications for insurance networks as well as paperwork for patient treatment. 

    According to The Globe, Health and Human Services has stated that between 2016 and 2020, Medicaid is increasing fees to mental health providers by $100 million. 

    But Vic DiGravio, president of the Association for Behavioral Healthcare in Natick, told The Globe this isn’t enough to convince more providers to join the program. 

    DiGravio adds that access to prescribers such as psychiatrists are one of the biggest battles being faced currently. 

    “For a clinic to have a doctor on staff to see patients on a regular basis, the rates don’t cover their time,” he said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • In-School Services Offered To Students Impacted By Opioid Addiction

    In-School Services Offered To Students Impacted By Opioid Addiction

    More than 50 schools in Massachusetts offer in-school counseling services to students with parents who are battling opioid addiction. 

    Maddy Nadeau’s childhood was less than ideal. Her mother often could not care for her, leaving her older sister to do the job when she came home from elementary school. 

    Maddy is one of many children affected by a parent’s substance use disorder, according to NPR. 

    Luckily, her school is taking steps to help her overcome the trauma of such a childhood. In October, Congress allowed for $50 million annually for five years to be allotted to mental health services in schools for children affected by the opioid epidemic.

    The girls eventually entered a foster home, which led to an adoption. Sarah Nadeau, their adoptive mother, told NPR both girls struggled with depression and anxiety, as well as performance in school. Maddy had a hard time especially, as she was exposed to opioids while in utero.

    “That makes it very difficult for her brain to settle down enough to do more than one task at a time,” Nadeau told NPR.

    Counselors at schools such as Maddy’s are employed by Gosnold, which is a substance use disorder treatment provider in Massachusetts. According to NPR, more and more schools are starting to screen and treat students who are considered at risk for opioid use disorder, as well as offer mental health services for those who have been affected by it.

    “Schools have more kids who cannot access the learning environment,” Sharon Hoover, co-director of The National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told NPR.


    According to Hoover, having such services in schools is proving effective.
”This is considered a preferable model of care,” she said. “The kids show up for treatment services because they’re not relying on a family member to take them somewhere in the community.”

    Though the services are new, data demonstrates counseling for at-risk students leads to fewer absences and better academic performance. Massachusetts schools using Gosnold counselors say their students are performing better academically and emotionally. Sarah Nadeau says this is the case for her girls.

    “Their day runs smoother. They can get out their anxiety while they’re in school instead of bottling it up, and then go back to class and continue learning,” she told NPR.

    Each participating school pays Gosnold for the counselors, and students’ insurance covers the individual sessions. If a student does not have insurance or it will not cover the cost, Gosnold absorbs that cost. Currently, more than 50 schools in Massachusetts offer such services. 

    “I wish that more schools offered it because the epidemic is everywhere,” says Sarah Nadeau. “For a lot of these kids, school is the only place that is stable. They get their lunch here, they get their education here, so why not give them their support while they’re here at the school?”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Opioid Addiction Rates Higher Than Expected In Massachusetts, Study Says

    Opioid Addiction Rates Higher Than Expected In Massachusetts, Study Says

    Nearly 5% of Massachusetts residents may be battling opioid use disorder, according to a new study. 

    Health officials in Massachusetts are expressing concern over the results of a new study, which suggests that more residents are struggling with opioid use disorder than previous research had suggested.

    Using information culled from a database for public health information, the study authors found that the number of individuals in the Bay State who have either received treatment for addiction, or who qualify as addicted but have gone undiagnosed, may be as high as 4.6% of residents over the age of 11.

    That number is significantly higher than previous records, which suggested that addiction rates hovered at just over 1%.

    The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health, and sought to determine the annual prevalence of opioid use between 2011 and 2015.

    To do so, researchers used the Massachusetts Public Health Data Warehouse, which links information on hospital and emergency room visits, prescriptions and insurance claims, among other sources, from more than a dozen state agencies.

    Patients are identified with their own unique number so it is possible to track a single individual who may have been admitted to a hospital or ER or received treatment from first responders.

    Researchers looked at information on individuals who, based on such encounters with the health care system, had been or could be determined as suffering from opioid addiction—and identified 119,000 people, or 2% of the state population over the age of 11 in 2015.

    From there, they used statistical methods to estimate the number of people who would be considered as opioid-dependent but have not received any treatment. 

    That formula brought the total number of individuals up to 4.6%, or 275,000 Massachusetts residents over the age of 11 years. Previous research, which determined the 1% rate, was based on national surveys that interviewed only those people who had sought help from the health care system for opioid-related issues.

    Response from the Massachusetts medical community was largely positive in regard to the study’s findings. The Boston Globe quoted Dr. Joshua A. Barocas, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center, who said, “[The study] is a good wake-up call. Our pool of people who are at risk for overdoses is potentially higher than we thought it was.” 

    The study also drew criticism from Dr. Silvia S. Martins, director of the Substance Abuse Epidemiology Unit at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Her response stemmed from what she viewed as a broad definition of opioid use disorder, which may have inflated the statistics.

    “The analysis could have been done in a more precise way,” she said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Fentanyl Present In 90% Of Drugs, Massachusetts Officials Warn

    Fentanyl Present In 90% Of Drugs, Massachusetts Officials Warn

    The synthetic opioid is found more in combination with cocaine and benzodiazepines than heroin.

    Officials in Massachusetts are warning the public that the presence of the deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl, is increasingly common in all types of illicit drugs in the state—not just in heroin or other opioids—raising the overdose risk for users of cocaine and other illegal substances. 

    “If an individual is using illicit drugs in Massachusetts, there’s a very high likelihood that fentanyl, which is so deadly, could be present,” said Dr. Monica Bharel, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, according to New England Public Radio. “Anybody using illicit drugs should understand the risks, carry naloxone, and access treatment.”

    The state’s quarterly report found that fentanyl is present in 90% of overdose deaths in Massachusetts. It is found more in combination with cocaine and benzodiazepines than with heroin. In 2014, fentanyl was found in less than 30% of overdose deaths in the Bay State. 

    Because fentanyl is becoming more prevalent in cocaine and benzodiazepines, officials are advising family members of people who use illicit drugs to carry naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug. People who do not use opioids regularly are more susceptible to fentanyl overdose because they have not built up an opioid tolerance. 

    Because of this, the state is urging healthcare providers to help all drug users get into treatment, not just those who report that their primary drug of choice is an opioid. 

    “When analyzing opioid overdose deaths, we have become aware that a significant portion of the deaths are associated with concurrent cocaine use,” the state wrote in a letter to providers. “We believe this information is useful for you in your clinical work. Additionally, patients should be aware that polysubstance use can NOT be a reason for refusal for admission in the treatment system.” 

    The report also showed that overdose deaths are declining in Massachusetts for the third straight quarter, even as such deaths continue to rise nationally. This could be due in part to the rising rates at which EMTs in the state are administering naloxone, as well as public health campaigns, Bharel said. 

    “In Massachusetts we have a multi-pronged approach,” she said. “This is about prevention, raising awareness in our communities, and raising awareness among our prescribers.” 

    However, not all demographics are seeing the improvement. Hispanics are disproportionately likely to die of an overdose in Massachusetts, and the overdose rates for black men continue to rise. 

    “While the results of our efforts are having an impact, we must double down on our efforts to implement treatment strategies that meet the needs of the highest risk individuals and communities,” Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said in a statement.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Lyft Offers Incentives To Stop Drugged Driving In Massachusetts

    Lyft Offers Incentives To Stop Drugged Driving In Massachusetts

    Lyft has pledged $50,000 in fares to keep stoned drivers off the roads of Massachusetts.

    Popular ride-sharing service Lyft is encouraging people to drive cannabis-free with a special fare credit offer, according to High Times.

    Law enforcement in Massachusetts believe there could be a greater potential for drug-related accidents since cannabis has become legal in the state, so the state has teamed with Lyft to help educate the public on the dangers of driving high.

    Jennifer Queally, undersecretary of the Office of Public Safety and Security in Massachusetts, became concerned when she noticed an increase in people driving stoned in Colorado.

    “It’s not uncommon to hear people say, ‘I drive better when I’m high,’” Queally explains. “[But] if you are high or stoned, you are not a safe driver. And you are a danger to everyone on the road.”

    At the same time, ride-sharing companies like Lyft see a potential business boom. Just as Lyft and Uber are giving potential drunk drivers everywhere a safe ride home, the general manager of Lyft in New England told High Times, “We want to make sure residents can consume marijuana and not think twice about how they’re going to get home responsibly.”

    To help promote cannabis-free driving, Lyft has partnered with the Massachusetts Chief of Police Association, as well as the Cannabis Reform Coalition, to pledge $50,000 in Lyft fares to keep high drivers off the road. And if you make a pledge on social media not to drive high, you can get $4.20 in Lyft ride fare credit.

    As WBUR reports, there is also a new public service campaign that has been launched in Massachusetts called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

    In the commercial, several actors tell the audience, “There are roads. Ones you take and one’s you don’t. There are laws. There are rules. And there’s you. You driving. You drunk driving. You driving high. You stoned and driving. You spinning. You crashing. You arrested. You killing… There are roads. And then there are just dead ends.”

    The commercial ends with a title card telling the audience, “Drunk? Stoned? Driving? Don’t.”

    According to a study released this year by the Governors Highway Safety Association, the rates of people driving high has increased 16% in the last 10 years. In 44% of fatal car crashes in 2016, 38% of the drivers tested positive for marijuana, with 16% of the drivers testing positive for opioids, and 4% testing positive for both.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • HIV Outbreak In Massachusetts Linked To Injection Drug Use

    HIV Outbreak In Massachusetts Linked To Injection Drug Use

    Between 2015 and 2018 there were 129 new HIV cases linked to drug use in two Massachusetts cities.

    Fentanyl use in two Massachusetts cities is driving an HIV outbreak that officials say could be forecasting a national public health crisis.

    Lawrence and Lowell Massachusetts, two cities along the New Hampshire border, have seen such a sharp spike in new HIV cases that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has become involved, according to The Huffington Post.

    Between 2015 and 2018 there were 129 new HIV cases linked to drug use diagnosed in the cities. In the four years prior to that there were only 41 new cases of HIV related to injecting drugs diagnosed annually in the entire state.

    “This tells us we cannot rest on our laurels,” said Thomas Stopka, an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. “There are potentially other communities that are at great risk as well. HIV can and is raising its head again in places where risks align.”

    In 2015, opioid injecting was linked to an HIV outbreak in rural Indiana. The risk factors in the Massachusetts outbreak are similar, but in an urban setting. One risk is pervasive fentanyl use. Because the synthetic opioid has a shorter half life than heroin, users inject more often. This means they have more opportunity to be exposed to dirty needles.

    In addition, neither city had a needle exchange program before the outbreak, although both have since established exchanges. Finally, high rates of homelessness compound health risks, as does the fact that doctors don’t routinely screen for HIV, even among intravenous drug users.

    “This may be forecasting what could conceivably happen around the country,” said Amy Nunn, executive director of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute.

    This spring, epidemiologists from the CDC spent time in Lawrence and Lowell to try to establish why the outbreak was occurring. They presented their findings in a meeting on July 24.

    “The most striking finding was the sheer number of cases,” said Stopka “[It] was substantially higher than what was seen in years prior.”

    The number of new drug-related HIV cases “definitely caught a lot of folks’ attention and really spoke to the great need in terms of a response,” he said.

    Most of the new cases were among white men ages 20-39, men like Mark, a 29-year-old who injected drugs before finding out that he was HIV positive.

    “We all use,” Mark said. “We all know the other one has it. We don’t tell each other. People will lie right to your face about having it. It’s spreading around like wildfire.”

    Stigma around HIV — even among drug users — keeps them from disclosing their status even if they know if. In addition, the draw of a high can cause people to put their health on the back burner, Mark said.

    “People just don’t care,” he said. “When it comes down to it, if you’ve got a bag in your hand and somebody next to you’s got a dirty needle, you’re not going to run and find a clean one.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Jeff Sessions: DOJ Won't Back Down On Marijuana Laws

    Jeff Sessions: DOJ Won't Back Down On Marijuana Laws

    “States have a right to set their own laws and will do so, and we will follow the federal law,” Sessions said.

    At a Boston press conference about a federal sting operation that busted about two dozen people on immigration fraud, reporters went a bit off topic and asked U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions about individual states’ rights to create and enforce their own marijuana laws.

    Sessions was clear in his anti-marijuana stance, affirming that under his purview the Department of Justice will follow federal marijuana laws. “States have a right to set their own laws and will do so, and we will follow the federal law,” Sessions responded to the question.

    Earlier this year, Sessions wrote a memo that reversed a decision by the Obama-era Department of Justice to be more hands-off when it comes to states that have legalized marijuana. “The previous issuance of guidance undermines the rule of law and the ability of our local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners to carry out this mission,” he wrote.

    The question at the Boston press conference was pertinent because two years ago, the state of Massachusetts legalized marijuana, but as of now still has not set up systems for its retail sale and purchase in the state. If Sessions goes after Massachusetts dispensaries, it would be disastrous for such a budding industry.

    “The American republic will not be better if there are marijuana sales on every street corner,” Sessions expanded on his answer.

    The sentiment was reflective of a statement the attorney general made during a 2016 Senate hearing: “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

    Despite the threats he’s made about marijuana, Massachusetts cannabis regulators are not worried. They’re confident even after they start retailing marijuana in their state, that the federal government will not intrude.

    Steve Hoffman, the chairperson of the Cannabis Control Commision, believes that a recent statement from one of Sessions’ federal attorneys, Andrew Lelling, seems to suggest that federal policy still resembles the previous hands-off policy.

    Federal focus around marijuana enforcement, according to Lelling, is focused on three things: making sure marijuana isn’t being passed to illegal markets, making sure it isn’t being distributed to minors, and cracking down on criminals seeking to transport marijuana across state lines.

    Hoffman is confident that the measures Massachusetts is putting in place will address these three priorities and thus the state will not draw Sessions’ ire.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Social Equity" Program To Help Those Impacted By Drug War In Massachusetts

    "Social Equity" Program To Help Those Impacted By Drug War In Massachusetts

    The programs aims to help people who have been disproportionately affected by the drug war enter the cannabis industry with ease.

    The state of Massachusetts is rolling out a new “social equity” program to help certain individuals navigate the legal cannabis industry.

    Cannabis for adult (or “recreational”) use is a booming industry. It is legal in nine states and the District of Columbia, while more, including New Jersey and New York, may follow.

    Equity programs already exist in California, but the one in Massachusetts would be the first in the nation to be applied statewide.

    The idea is to provide assistance to people who have been disproportionately affected by the government’s long-waged “war on drugs.”

    To be eligible for the Massachusetts program, a person must either have a past drug conviction or be the spouse or child of a person with a drug conviction, who has lived in the state for the last year; or they must have lived in a community deemed an “area of disproportionate impact” for at least five years and earn below 400% of the federal poverty level.

    Eligible applicants will receive mentoring, technical assistance, and skills training to help them enter the cannabis industry with ease.

    “The social equity program is designed to create sustainable pathways into the adult use cannabis industry for both individuals and businesses,” said Shekia Scott, the director of community outreach for the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), which was tasked with helping those disproportionately affected by the criminalization of marijuana get in on the growing industry.

    The program’s goal is to create a comprehensive program tailored to each applicant at any skill level—whether they want to start a business or find an entry level job.

    “We want applicants to specify their needs so we can meet them where they are,” said Scott, who introduced the social equity program at a Tuesday (June 26) meeting of the CCC. “We’re not making a one-size-fits-all program, that we know usually doesn’t fit all.”

    While the Massachusetts program does not specifically target certain people of color, inevitably many black and Latino residents will be eligible to participate.

    According to the American Civil Liberties Union, black Americans are arrested for cannabis possession at more than 3.7 times the rate of whites, despite the fact that marijuana is used at comparable rates by both groups.

    According to Marijuana Business Daily, owners and founders within the cannabis industry are 81% white, while just 4.3% are black and 5.7% are Latino.

    View the original article at thefix.com