Tag: News

Are Men More Likely To Engage In Risky Drinking?

Apparently men and women differ in how they approach the legal drinking age.

Driving drunk, getting in physical fights and taking part in risky sexual behavior—all three of these are more common in men than women when the drinking age starts at 21, according to new research.

WUWM reports that while previous research supports the fact that there is an increase in alcohol-related deaths and violent crimes at age 21, Jason Fletcher, a professor and researcher at University of Wisconsin-Madison, wanted to reach beyond those statistics.

Fletcher wanted to zone in on other “problem areas” that follow the legal drinking age.

To do so, Fletcher studied data from Add Health, a study covering adolescent to adult health in the U.S. What he found pointed to men facing more consequences than women after turning 21.

“There is just nothing I can discern from the data of negative impacts along the outcomes that I examine for women,” Fletcher said, according to WUWM. “The individuals in the data, when they turn 21, they do drink more, but the consequences that I examined, women don’t seem to have those consequences.”

According to WUWM, Fletcher says one possible response is for authority figures, such as parents, to step in and remind their children of the risks of drinking as they approach 21.

“And, it might be a reasonable intervention to remind parents of individuals about to turn 21, that especially their sons, about these negative consequences,” Fletcher stated. “Maybe they could at least be part of these interventions, in terms of reducing these risky behaviors right around the legal age of drinking.”

Another part of Fletcher’s research was the discovery that parental involvement won’t necessarily deter children from risky drinking. The research actually found that children around age 21 living with parents have steeper increases in risky drinking than those children living away from their parents.

Last year, a bill to lower Wisconsin’s drinking age to 19 was presented in the state legislature. However, Fletcher’s solution would be to move in the other direction, by increasing the legal drinking age for men to 22 or 23—though he acknowledges that it’s not likely Wisconsinites would approve such a change.

View the original article at thefix.com

2 October 2018
Clearing A Pot Conviction Just Got Easier In California

Up to half a million Californians are estimated to be affected by the law.

When California legalized marijuana in 2016, a provision in the new law made it possible for people with marijuana convictions to have their records cleared or changed to reflect reduced charges.

However, the process to do so was long and convoluted, meaning many people weren’t able to take advantage of it. Now, a newly-passed law will require the legislature to automatically review cannabis convictions, streamlining the process.

“It was so inaccessible for a variety of reasons,” Rodney Holcombe of the Drug Policy Alliance told USA Today. “This (new law) will empower people. My heart goes out to people who have had to navigate this process on their own. It’s confusing, expensive and tiring.”

Assembly Bill 1793 was passed by a majority in the California state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 30.

The bill requires the California Department of Justice “to review the records in the state summary criminal history information database and to identify past convictions that are potentially eligible for recall or dismissal of sentence, dismissal and sealing, or redesignation pursuant to AUMA (the Adult Use Marijuana Act)” before July 1, 2019. After that, prosecutors will have a year to either clear the conviction or reduce the charge to a misdemeanor.

“AB 1793 will bring people closer to realizing their existing rights by creating a simpler pathway for Californians to turn the page and make a fresh start,” Assemblyman Rob Bonta told the Los Angeles Times. “Long after paying their debt to society, people shouldn’t continue to face the collateral consequences, like being denied a job or housing, because they have an outdated conviction on their records.”

Up to half a million Californians are estimated to be affected by the new policy. Misdemeanors including growing and transporting up to an ounce of marijuana can be cleared, while felony convictions including possession with intent to sell can be reduced to misdemeanors.

“It’s safe to say the number of persons eligible to have their offenses reduced from felonies to misdemeanors is in the hundreds of thousands,” said Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML. “Most people should be relieved to no longer have a felony on their record.”

Despite the huge number of people who are eligible to have their sentences reduced, only 5,000 have applied in the past two years. This highlights the need for the new, automated process.

“This is transformative,” Holcombe said. “This creates an opportunity for people to reclaim their lives.”

View the original article at thefix.com

2 October 2018
Cher's Houseguest Arrested For Allegedly Selling Illicit Fentanyl

Cher was on tour in Australia at the time of the arrest.

Police in Los Angeles descended on the home of Oscar-winning entertainer Cher to arrest a houseguest who was allegedly involved in the sale of fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Cher’s Malibu home on September 27 and arrested 23-year-old Donovan Ruiz whom officials said was living at the residence.

A spokesperson for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said that Ruiz was arrested for a “narcotics overdose that occurred within the last two weeks.” Cher was on tour in Australia at the time of the arrest.

Some media sources have alleged that Ruiz is the son of Cher’s longtime assistant, though this has yet to be verified by police.

What is known, according to a press release from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, is that law enforcement from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit had been conducting a narcotics investigation into Ruiz for a period of two weeks prior to the arrest, and that Ruiz allegedly sold fentanyl to “many users in Ventura County,” including a Thousand Oaks resident who later died from an overdose in mid-September.

As numerous media sources reported, police served a search warrant at Cher’s home in the afternoon of the 25th. Witnesses saw several patrol cars and first responder vehicles at the residence, which initially prompted concerns about the singer’s health.

The Blast reported that Ventura County had contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to inform them of their intent to conduct a search on the premises in regard to a drug-related offense.

Detectives reportedly seized evidence that was allegedly linked to Ruiz and sales of an “illegal controlled substance.” Ruiz was subsequently arrested and charged with the sale of such a substance, but again, according to The Blast, additional charges related to the overdose could be expected.

Ruiz’s bond was set at $500,000, and it remained undetermined if he would make bail prior to his arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court at 1:30 p.m. on October 1. The Blast cited sources that said that Ruiz was a “good person” who would never “sell drugs that would kill someone.”

At the time of the incident, Cher was slated to perform at shows in Brisbane, Australia.

View the original article at thefix.com

2 October 2018
Mental Health Education Now Required In New York Schools

New York is the first state to require mental health education in all grades.

This fall, New York schools became the first in the U.S. to teach mandatory mental health education to students of all ages.

“All schools” across New York state are now required to teach mental health literacy in health class in elementary school, middle school, and high school.

New York enacted the requirement in July—same as Virginia, which now requires mental health education to be taught in the 9th and 10th grade.

There’s a growing movement to lessen the stigma of mental illness as suicide rates in the U.S. rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national suicide rate increased by 30% since 1999. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds, and is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. overall, the agency has reported.

According to the New York law, “90% of youth who die by suicide suffer from depression or other diagnosable and treatable mental illness at the time of their death.”

It is “critical” to teach young people about mental health, said New York’s Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “When young people learn about mental health and that it is an important aspect of overall health and well-being, the likelihood increases they will be able to effectively recognize signs and symptoms in themselves and others and will know where to turn for help—and it will decrease the stigma that attaches to help-seeking,” said Elia.

The purpose of teaching kids about mental health in schools is to “advance mental health literacy among young people statewide as schools prepare students with lifelong skills in mental health and wellness and increase their awareness of when and how to address treatment or support for themselves of others,” according to the New York State Center for School Health.

CNN reported in July that the curriculum should cover “the multiple dimensions of health and include the relationship of physical and mental health.”

In August 2017, the NYS Mental Health Education Advisory Council was established to provide guidance to educators. The new curriculum must teach nine key points, according to the Daily Mail. These include identifying the signs of mental health issues, finding resources for help and support, and addressing the negative stigma that surrounds mental illness.

“We need to change attitudes around mental health. Starting to educate children in schools makes sense,” said Meredith Coles, PhD, professor of psychology at Binghamton University.

View the original article at thefix.com

2 October 2018
Gwyneth Paltrow On Postpartum Depression: Antidepressants Were Not For Me

“It was really shocking to me because I never thought that I would be a person who got postnatal depression.”

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow rejected medication when it came to treating postpartum depression (PPD). Instead, she opted for a more holistic approach.

While the wellness guru, who began building her lifestyle brand goop in 2008, says that while she doesn’t reject the effectiveness of prescription medications, they just weren’t for her.

In a special edition of the goop Podcast, Paltrow described feeling depressed after the birth of her son Moses in 2006. She said it was a different experience than the birth of her daughter Apple, now 14 years old. “I was so euphoric when Apple was born, and I assumed it would happen with Mosey and it just… It took a while. I really went into a dark place.”

But when she was offered medication to treat her depression, she opted for a more holistic approach—true to her brand. “A doctor tried to put me on antidepressants and I thought, if I need them, then yes, I’ll come back to it,” she said.

“I thought, well, what if I went to therapy and I started exercising again, and I stopped drinking alcohol and I just gave myself a period of regeneration and I slept more? I really broke out of it,” she said.

While Paltrow acknowledged that medications “are lifesavers for certain people for sure, she was able to pull herself up without them. “It was really shocking to me because I never thought that I would be a person who got postnatal depression,” she said.

In a 2011 interview with Good Housekeeping, Paltrow credited then-husband Chris Martin with helping her see the problem. “About four months into it, Chris came to me and said, ‘Something’s wrong.’ I kept saying, ‘No, no, I’m fine.’ But Chris identified it, and that sort of burst the bubble,” she said at the time.

Ultimately, Paltrow discovered that there was more to PPD than she realized.“The hardest part for me was acknowledging the problem. I thought postpartum depression meant you were sobbing every single day and incapable of looking after a child,” she said. “But there are different shades of it and depths of it, which is why I think it’s so important for women to talk about it. It was a trying time. I felt like a failure.”

View the original article at thefix.com

2 October 2018
Organ Donations Increase As Opioid Overdose Deaths Climb

“Some refuse due to the stigma but when posed with lifesaving transplants in very sick people, that refusal rate for a quality organ is low.”

The number of Americans waiting for organ donation is dropping for the first time in 25 years, in part because there are more organs available for donation from people who have died of a drug overdose.

“We started noticing the increase in overdose deaths in 2012,” Alexandra Glazier, director of New England Donor Services, which coordinates organ donation, told Vox. “Although it has a silver lining, in terms of its impact on organ availability, or at least it has in our region, it’s still not something we hope continues.”

“Those people are better off here, having fought their battles with drugs and won, for their families and for their kids,” said Daniel Miller-Dempsey, a family services coordinator with New England Donor Services. “It’s heartbreaking to know that so many people are dying from this.”

However, organ donation can provide a small silver lining for family members left behind. When David Maleham lost his son Matt to opioid overdose, he was not surprised. “It was a call I had dreaded for years,” he told Vox.

Matt was in the hospital and his driver’s license indicated that he was an organ donor. Eventually, Maleham and his wife received a letter from the man who received Matt’s organ and felt a connection to his story. Maleham said that knowing his son’s donation gave this man a second chance at life eased the sense of loss.

“If it weren’t for that, what a waste. What a pointless death. What did that accomplish?” he said. “The answer would have been nothing.”

The medical community has also become more willing to accept donations from so-called high risk donors. Federal law now allows donations from HIV-positive individuals. However, many people who die from opioid overdoses don’t have a long history of drug use.

Most people who are in dire need of a transplant do not mind having an organ from someone who died from drug overdose.

“Some refuse due to the stigma,” said Jay Fishman, who co-directs the transplant program at Massachusetts General Hospital, “but when posed with lifesaving transplants in very sick people, that refusal rate for a quality organ is low.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 October 2018
Opioid Crisis At Forefront As Midterms Approach

Politicians are eager to offer their take on the crisis, in hopes of connecting with constituents who have been affected by it.

As November fast approaches, those on Capitol Hill know that the opioid crisis is an issue voters are taking into consideration.

“We see more and more deaths being attributed to opiates and illicit drugs than ever before. It’s of epidemic proportion and we’re going to lose a whole generation,” said Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia during an interview.

With a vote of 99 to 1 on Monday (Sept. 17), the Senate passed a package of 70 bills aimed at opioid prevention and expanding treatment.

According to KATV, those in support of the legislation say it is just the beginning. The bill package would mean increased the screening of packages sent via the U.S. Postal Service, which U.S. Representative Erik Paulsen has been supportive of, according to a blog post by Advanced Medical Integration, a consulting firm.

“While private carriers have to submit electronic data for any of their packages that come into the United States, the postal service has been exempt,” Paulsen stated. “We have a loophole that is being exploited by smugglers.”

The bill package would also mean shorter opioid prescriptions and increased funding for treatment.

“Now we’re able to get money coming to the most addicted areas and that’s gonna be the biggest help to West Virginia,” Manchin stated.

Manchin is in a tight race for his Senate seat. His opponent, Attorney General Patrick Morrissey, states that Manchin did nothing to help the opioid crisis when he served as governor of West Virginia.

“Quite frankly Joe Manchin was governor and I inherited the fact that he was asleep at the switch all while this crisis was raging,” Morrissey said, according to KATV.

However, Morrissey himself has had to contend with some backlash due to his ties to pharmaceutical companies, which he has lobbied for in the past. “Last year I sued the DEA because I thought that their whole drug quota system was fundamentally flawed and it was spitting out in excess hundreds of millions of pills that were not warranted,” Morrissey stated.

Midterms and the passing of the bill package could bring some clarity and direction, according to AMI.

“We have to take some responsibility as a public for we should have recognized it as soon as it reared its ugly head and squashed it then,” the AMI blog post notes. “Now it is out of control. There is hope that one of these programs before Congress will take hold and slowly but surely begin to usher in the change we so desperately need.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 October 2018
Can You Really Fly Out Of LAX With Weed?

A high-minded new California law makes LAX the first major airport to take a pro-pot stance.

The friendly skies just got a little friendlier if you’re flying out of Los Angeles.

The City of Angels’ bustling airport recently moved to allow passengers to pack their pot in carry-on luggage, according to an announcement posted on the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) website.

The high-minded move comes on the heels of California’s passage of a marijuana legalization measure that went into effect at the start of the year.

“While federal law prohibits the possession of marijuana (inclusive of federal airspace,) California’s passage of proposition 64, effective January 1, 2018, allows for individuals 21 years of age or older to possess up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana for personal consumption,” LAX wrote in the notice.

“In accordance with Proposition 64, the Los Angeles Airport Police Department will allow passengers to travel through LAX with up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana.”

But, there’s one big caveat: If pot is illegal at your destination, you can still get arrested when you land.

And aside from that, marijuana is still banned under federal law, so it may still raise red flags with the TSA—even though it’s not their top priority.

“TSA’s focus is on terrorism and security threats to the aircraft and its passengers,” agency spokeswoman Lorie Dankers told Los Angeles-based KABC-TV. “Whether or not the passenger is allowed to travel with marijuana is up to law enforcement’s discretion.”

And when the law enforcement in question is Los Angeles police, their new move will be to turn down the arrest.

LAX appears to be the first big airport to take a pro-pot on planes stance. San Diego International doesn’t have an official policy, according to KABC. And in the Denver airport, marijuana is prohibited—mainly because it’s still illegal under federal law.

Even so, local police aren’t necessarily racking up collars over Colorado’s pot-friendly flyers.

“If it’s a small amount the TSA and the Denver Police Department will ask that person to dispose of it,” airport spokesman Emily Williams told the TV station. “If that person is willing to do that, they move through.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 October 2018
New Rehab Reform Laws Aim To Clean Up California's Troubled System

One of the new laws puts a ban on patient brokering.

California Gov. Jerry Brown last week green-lit a series of measures aimed at reforming the state’s troubled and under-regulated rehab system.

One of the new measures, which come on the heels of media scrutiny of the state’s recovery industry, would require rehabs to refer to evidence-based models or the American Society of Addiction Medicine treatment criteria for a minimum standard of care.

“It’s an unbelievably unregulated field, and we’re going to try to put our arms around that by requiring some standards and the best scientific evidence before these facilities are licensed,” state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) told the Orange County Register. “We may be able to solve a small part of the problem, and save some lives.”

The legislation gives the California State Department of Health Care Services five years to figure out the details.

“This bill would require the department to adopt specified standards for these facilities as minimum requirements for licensure,” the law reads. “The bill would authorize the department to implement, interpret, or make specific this requirement by means of plan or provider bulletins or similar instructions until regulations are adopted and would require the department to adopt the regulations by January 1, 2023.”

The governor also green-lit other rehab-related legislation, including one bill that puts a ban on patient brokering and another that makes rehab licenses provisional for a year and revocable.

Although the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, some cities and the Orange County Board of Supervisors voiced support for the new measures, an emergency room physicians’ associations worried whether giving in to NIMBY demands for regulation would work to increase stigma around addiction, according to Cal Matters.

And, despite what advocates view as legislative successes, some proposals didn’t pass or didn’t make it into the final legislation, including language that would have raised sober living home standards and created criminal consequences for patient brokering.

“Now we have legislative intent and precedent to address this issue in a larger context,” activist Ryan Hampton told the Orange County paper. “We’re going to continue to build on this success in the next session and in the future. We will get to the point where we have full protections in place. At least we’re not going backwards.”

Though the various pieces of legislation had different legislative sponsors, at least one credited the newspaper group—and comedian John Oliver—with lighting the spark that ignited change.

“Thanks to you and the paper and John Oliver for opening my eyes to the issue and the abuses,” state Sen. Hill told the publication. “Southern California has such a prevalence of these facilities. It’s not benefiting anyone, and harming so many people.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 October 2018
Feds Reschedule CBD Drugs But There's A Catch

The rescheduling does not apply to all CBD drugs.

Following the approval of CBD-based epilepsy drug Epidolex by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US federal government has decided that, going forward, it will reschedule all CBD medications that the FDA approves.

As of Friday, the rescheduling order has been published to the official register. While CBD medications becoming legalized is good news for advocates, the excitement was somewhat dampened by just how narrow the order is.

“Specifically, this order places FDA-approved drugs that contain CBD derived from cannabis and no more than 0.1% tetrahydrocannabinols in schedule V,” reads the order.

While this may not read like a big deal, the problem is that the FDA approval process is costly and lengthy, greatly limiting who can actually bring CBD products to market. So far, only Epidolex, made by GW Pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom, has approval.

“What this does not do is legalize or change the status of CBD oil products,” said a DEA spokesperson. “As of right now, any other CBD product other than Epidiolex remains a Schedule I controlled substance, so it’s still illegal under federal law.”

The DEA takes this tough stance on CBD despite the fact that it carries many medicinal benefits while not providing any of the trademark “high” that marijuana does. Epidolex was deemed by the FDA to be safe enough to be used as treatment for debilitating epilepsy for children as young as or younger than one year old.

Advocates argue that such strict criteria for CBD products means that any medicine, no matter how popular or effective, cannot qualify for FDA approval if it has any trace of THC.

“We anticipated that Epidiolex will be the first of many potential FDA-approved medicines based on the cannabis plant. These are welcome alternatives,” said Paul Armentano, the Deputy Director of NORML. “But these products should not be regulated in such a manner that patients no longer have ready access to herbal cannabis — a product that humans have used safely and effectively as a medicine for thousands of years and is approved today by statute in 31 states.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 October 2018