Tag: New Hampshire

Pot Legalization Moves Forward In New Hampshire Despite Opposition

High overdose rates in the state has been cited as one of the main reasons opponents are against legalizing cannabis.

Despite strong opposition in a state reeling from the opioid epidemic, marijuana legalization came closer to New Hampshire on Thursday (Feb. 21), when a bill to legalize cannabis in the state moved forward by just one vote.

According to New Hampshire Public Radio, the measure passed the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee by a vote of 10 to 9. It will now be considered by the full House of Representatives, but Governor Chris Sununu, who recently started his second term, has vowed to veto the bill if it gets that far.

New Hampshire, known as a popular vacation destination because of its scenic lakes and mountains, has in recent years become known for a more sinister reason: the prevalence of opioid addiction in the state. New Hampshire has one of the highest per-capita overdose rates in the country.

At the same time, the Granite State has been a holdout in the march toward legalization of recreational marijuana, becoming the last New England state to ban cannabis use.

Sununu and others in New Hampshire feel it would be irresponsible to legalize cannabis when the state is fighting what often seems like a losing battle against opioids. According to The New York Times, the governor spoke out strongly against legalization last fall.

“When we are dealing with opioids as the single biggest health crisis this state has ever had, you are going to tell me legalizing more drugs is the answer? Absolutely not.”

Sununu is a Republican, but in New Hampshire there is bipartisan skepticism about marijuana legalization. Both U.S. senators from New Hampshire, Democrats Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, have expressed concerns or actively opposed legalization.

Ronald G. Shaiko, a senior fellow studying public policy and social sciences at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, said that residents in the state feel that the government hasn’t responded well to the opioid epidemic, and are wary of adding more drugs into the mix. Because of this, Sununu’s opposition is resonating.

“He’s hitting a chord,” Shaiko said.

Tym Rourke oversees treatment and addiction programming at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. He said that even if marijuana is only dangerous for some people, that is not a risk that the state can take when hundreds of people are dying from opioid overdoses each year.

He said, “For some people, it’s unsafe. And as we are grappling with a high volume of individuals struggling with the consequences of substance misuse, do we really want to create a system that puts another substance more into the marketplace or more into their presence?”

However, proponents including State Representative Renny Cushing, who is sponsoring the legalization bill, argue that increasing access to marijuana can actually reduce rates of opioid overdose.

“What we’ve come to understand is that marijuana in many instances is an exit drug, not a gateway drug,” he said.

View the original article at thefix.com

22 February 2019
Parents Of Opioid Epidemic Named Citizens Of The Year

A New Hampshire paper has named the “parents of the addiction crisis” as the citizens of the year for 2018.

In New Hampshire last year, 437 people died of drug overdoses, a significant number in the small state. Many of them were young adults who left behind parents who were unable to save them, despite their best intentions.

Now, a New Hampshire paper has named the “parents of the addiction crisis” as the citizens of the year for 2018.

“The selection honors parents who have lost children to overdoses — and others whose loved ones have found recovery — but who are striving to help other families find hope and healing,” Shawne K. Wickham wrote in a piece for The New Hampshire Union Leader explaining the selection. “Most do that work quietly, out of public view. They run support groups and volunteer at recovery centers. They raise their grandchildren, postponing retirement in favor of parenting a second time around. Others have shared their stories publicly, reaching out in hopes of sparing other families their grief.”

After Susan Messinger’s son died of a fentanyl overdose in 2014, Messinger and her husband John (who passed away suddenly last fall) threw themselves into advocacy and awareness in hopes that other parents would never need to experience a loss like theirs.

“It may look like we’re OK; you see us in the grocery store, Walmart, wherever. We’re there, we’re putting one foot in front of the other; we may have a smile on our face that day or we may look sad,” Messinger said. “But our heart is broken inside and it’s never, ever, ever going to be together again.”

Jim and Anne Marie Zanfagna lost their daughter to an opioid overdose in the fall. Anne Marie has since painted 180 pictures of people who have died from drug overdoses.

She calls the series “Angels of Addictions.” It has now been displayed around the state and led the Zanfagnas to found a nonprofit by the same name to raise awareness and cut stigma. They want to encourage other people to be open about addiction.

“Speak about this,” said Jim Zanfagna. “Let people know what’s going on. Maybe we can save some lives.”

Charles “Chucky” Rosa has been speaking out since his two sons died of drug overdoses more than 10 years ago. Recently he has seen more and more parents doing the same.

“I used to be the only member of the club that nobody wants to be part of,” he said. “Now there’s so many people that have lost children.”

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) said that New Hampshire parents have shown resiliency in the face of crisis.

“So many families have courageously shared their experience of losing a loved one, which has been instrumental in destigmatizing substance use disorders and raising awareness of the magnitude of this crisis,” she said. “I deeply appreciate their advocacy and will continue to work with them to end this scourge on our state and our country.”

View the original article at thefix.com

7 January 2019
New Initiative Helps Make Workplaces Recovery Friendly

More than 70 businesses are participating in the Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative.

Many people who struggle with substance use disorder find that while getting sober is one challenge, reintegrating into society and finding a job can be another huge barrier to long-term recovery. In New Hampshire, a statewide initiative is aiming to make holding down a job a little easier for people in recovery.

The Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative, which has more than 70 participating businesses, provides employers with resources and support to help employees in recovery succeed. Hypertherm, a tool manufacturer based in Lebanon, New Hampshire, is one of the most enthusiastic adopters of the program.

“We’re here. We understand,” Jenny Levy, Hypertherm’s vice president of people, community and environment, told The Washington Post. “If you’re seeking recovery, we’re here for you.”

Employers in the initiative are more open to employees with criminal records or gaps in employment. They also may provide services like training in how to use naloxone. Overall, having an open commitment to supporting employees in recovery can help cut down on stigma. In turn, employment can help build the self-worth of people in early recovery.

“There’s not a whole lot of pride that goes into being a user,” said Kenny Sawyer, who has worked at Hypertherm for eight years, following years of drug abuse and homelessness.

David Mara, New Hampshire’s drug czar, said that holding down a job is an important accomplishment for people in recovery, not just because it is sometimes part of probation conditions.

“One of the most important things that people in recovery talk about is how it feels, with their self-worth and identity, getting employed again,” Mara said.

Of course, the program also has benefits for the companies that participate. New Hampshire has the third-highest overdose rate in the nation but also one of the lowest unemployment rates, at just 2.7%.

“Basically, everyone in New Hampshire is employed,” Mara said.

In that environment, opening employment opportunities to people who may otherwise be seen as less desirable candidates can help companies get ahead, and helping employees stay sober — and employed — keeps the businesses rolling.

Kevin Flynn, director of communications and public policy for New Hampshire’s Business and Industry Association, said that in a state where addiction is prevalent, employers have had to deal with the toll addiction takes on their employees.

“Most thoughtful business leaders want to do the right thing by their employees when it comes to addiction, and to [addiction in] their families,” he said.

Levy, of Hypertherm, said that that commitment is returned. Employees “who are supported through their recovery are incredibly loyal,” he said. “They make great workers.”

View the original article at thefix.com

4 December 2018
Angels of Addiction Exhibit Tells Story Of Lives Lost To Opioid Crisis

“When you see these faces you will cry because we’ve lost all of these people,” says artist Anne Marie Zanfagna.

Last week, about 130 faces of lives lost to drugs graced the rotunda of of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. The brightly-colored paintings are part of a series called Angels of Addiction by Anne Marie Zanfagna, a New Hampshire mother who lost her daughter Jacqueline to heroin in 2014.

After finding comfort in painting Jacqueline, Zanfagna has since made it her calling to create portraits for others grieving like her. Her paintings are free of charge, funded through her nonprofit Angels of Addiction that collects donations for art supplies.

“It is a work of love. I know how people feel when they receive these, and that warms my heart,” said Zanfagna, according to the Concord Monitor. “If I can do something to help someone else, I’ll do it. It’s my way of giving back.”

In 2017, there were 483 confirmed drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire, according to the state Medical Examiner’s Office. Fentanyl was involved in more than 350 of these deaths.

“You hear the numbers and you know it is a lot, but when you try to translate that into lives, it’s different,” said Zanfagna. “When you see these faces you will cry because we’ve lost all of these people.”

Zanfagna first showed her paintings in the New Hampshire State Library in August 2017. “When I saw all 90 together it was very powerful,” she said at the time. “It struck me that every one of those beautiful people are dead.”

Since then, she’s painted more than 150 portraits, and her exhibit has graced the walls of town halls, libraries and recovery centers.

Last week, her paintings went up in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., after the artist was invited to show her work there by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

“To see them, it reminds you that the opioid epidemic that we’re facing isn’t about numbers and statistics. It’s about real people. This is something that can happen to anybody,” said Shaheen.

“Each of these portraits tells a story, and the Angels of Addictions exhibit reminds us who we are fighting for as Congress takes steps to address this crisis.”

Ultimately the series is about putting faces to lives lost, and capturing the joy that each individual brought to their loved ones. “I think the people in my exhibit need this recognition because they were all good people,” said Zanfagna.

View the original article at thefix.com

16 October 2018
Pain Patients Rally To Have Voices Heard

“The real message is that people in chronic pain are not drug abusers. Illicit drug use is the enemy,” said one rally participant.

People suffering from chronic pain gathered earlier this week in New Hampshire, hoping to share their frustrations about prescription opioid restrictions in one of the states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic.

“The pendulum has swung so far that now, people who have legitimate, documented, disease and illness and pain are now having their medications limited,” Bill Murphy, who helped organize the rally, told WMUR.

Similar Don’t Punish Pain rallies were held in about 80 locations around the country. Participants say that they need pain medications—including opioids—to manage their chronic conditions. They say that long-term use of opioids can vastly improve the lives of people suffering from chronic pain, but that opioid painkillers have become misunderstood and stigmatized because of widespread misuse.

“Chronic pain patients are being denied their medications due to a false narrative that the drug epidemic is caused by prescription pain pills,” Kim Patty, who helped organize a rally in Springfield, Missouri, told the Springfield News-Leader. “The drug epidemic is being caused by heroin and synthetic fentanyl.”

Participants in New Hampshire said this message gets lost. “It’s important for pain patients to have respect,” said Edie Allyn-Paige, who lives with chronic pain. “You know, every day, I have to choose whether or not to get out of bed.”

Bobbi Blades has had chronic pain for 30 years caused by a bone that presses on a nerve. She said that without opioids she wouldn’t have been able to complete rehabilitation, which helped her regain the ability to walk. “The real message is that people in chronic pain are not drug abusers,” she said. “Illicit drug use is the enemy.”

Murphy said that unlike many people who abuse opioids, responsible users take low doses and are functional at home and at work. Despite that, many people have had their doctors cut back on their pain medications under pressure to reduce prescribing. “Because of that low-dose regimen, (people) are still working, raising families, and their doctors are feeling pressured to reduce that pain medication,” he said.

Cheryl Ostrander, who rallied in Springfield, said she has used painkillers to help her cope with breast cancer, knee replacements, spinal fusions and fibromyalgia.

“I am struggling really hard just to stay here,” Ostrander said. “I am in pain just like every day of my life. I’m a mess, but I don’t deserve to be treated like a criminal to get my pain medication.”

View the original article at thefix.com

21 September 2018