Tag: News

Surfer Sunny Garcia Hospitalized Amid Depression Battle

Garcia has been very open about living with depression on social media.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).

Professional surfer Sunny Garcia, who has been open about his battle with depression, has been hospitalized following a suicide attempt.

“With heavy hearts we confirm that Sunny Garcia is in the ICU in the hospital,” the World Surf League confirmed on Twitter on Monday. “Sunny has always been a great champion of surfing, both in and out of the water. Our prayers are with him and his loved ones at this deeply challenging time.”

Garcia—whose real name is Vincent Sennen Garcia—posted a picture of himself as a teenager on Sunday, prior to his hospitalization.

“If I told this kid the things he would go through and things he would achieve he would tell me I’m crazy,” Garcia, 49, wrote. “Wow it’s been a crazy ride since this photo was taken.”

On March 20, Garcia opened up about his depression on Instagram, something he had done in the past as well.

“Doesn’t matter what kind of mental illness you suffer from, we all suffer in silence and deal with it best we can and most people that don’t suffer can’t understand the pain and frustration that we go through,” he wrote.

“I have a incredible life surrounded by people that love and care for me, and I get to travel to beautiful places to surf and meet different people from all over the world but I can tell you when I get down that none of that matters,” he said.

Garcia wrote that he “spent the morning curled in my dark closet feeling like I just didn’t want to be here anymore”—but said that he knew that ultimately things would get better and he was determined to speak out.

“I just feel like nothing or anyone can help me at the particular time so I just keep sharing my feelings hoping that it helps any of you out there that suffers from anything and encourage you to reach out and talk to others like yourself because this life can really be beautiful. If we all just talk and let it out so others see that it’s ok to share and we are not alone in this suffering.”

Garcia first posted about his depression in December 2014, when he asked his followers for advice.

“Depression is no joke waking up feeling like you’re ready to take on the world then a couple hours later feeling down on life and wondering what’s wrong with you,” he wrote at the time. “Well I know I’m not alone and I’m not sure what’s wrong with me because I have no reason to feel the way I do. It’s been happening for about two years and would love to hear from any of you who suffer these feelings so I can figure out what I should do.”

View the original article at thefix.com

2 May 2019
NYC Bans Alcohol Ads on City Properties to Reduce Problem Drinking

NYC joins LA, Philadelphia and San Francisco in restricting alcohol advertising on city-owned spaces.

Alcohol advertising will no longer be displayed on New York City-owned property such as bus shelters, newsstands, phone booths and wifi kiosks.

Mayor Bill de Blasio issued the alcohol advertising ban via Executive Order, effective immediately. The ban will affect most city-owned properties except for venues that serve alcohol like Citi Field.

Despite a foreseeable loss of advertising revenue of around $3 million each year, city officials say it’s worth it to try and reduce the effects of problem drinking. In the 2018 fiscal year, alcohol advertising generated $2.7 million for the city. These advertisements occupy about 3% of city-owned advertising space.

“There’s no doubt that far too many New Yorkers struggle with serious substance misuse issues, among them excessive drinking,” said de Blasio in a statement Tuesday.

In 2016, NYC counted 110,000 alcohol-related ER visits, and 2,000 alcohol-related fatalities from car accidents, liver disease, etc.

“In New York City, we see far too many deaths related to alcohol,” said city health commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “We know exposure to alcohol advertising can lead to drinking more alcohol, more often behavior that can be harmful and even fatal.”

City officials cite research that have linked exposure to alcohol advertisements with drinking behavior. By minimizing New Yorkers’ exposure to alcohol advertising, they are hoping to reduce problem drinking in the city.

There is plenty of research on the subject.

“Parents and peers have a large impact on youth decisions to drink. However, research clearly indicates that alcohol advertising and marketing also have a significant effect by influencing youth and adult expectations and attitudes, and helping to create an environment that promotes underage drinking,” according to the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Johns Hopkins University.

Eighteen months ago, the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) banned alcohol advertisements on NYC buses, subway cars and stations.

Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco have also banned alcohol ads on city property.

“Too many people in our city struggle with excessive drinking, and irresponsible advertisements for alcohol make the problem worse―especially when they target communities of color,” said NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray. “Today, New York City is taking a stand to protect the health and well-being of all of our communities.”

View the original article at thefix.com

2 May 2019
Lower Prices Contributed to Opioid Crisis, According to White House Report

A new report by the President’s Council of Economic Advisers examined the driving forces of the national opioid epidemic.

A drop in out-of-pocket expenses for prescription opioids helped drive the first wave of the opioid epidemic, according to a new report released by the White House.

The report, written by the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, found that increased insurance coverage for opioids resulted in lower costs on the legal market and the black market.

“Out-of-pocket prices for prescription opioids declined by an estimated 81 percent between 2001 and 2010,” report authors wrote. “The falling prices were a consequence of the expansion of government health care coverage, which increased access to all prescription drugs—including opioids. We argue that these falling out-of-pocket prices effectively reduced the price of opioid use not only in the primary market but also in the secondary (black) market for diverted opioids, from which most people who misuse prescription opioids obtain their drugs.”

During this time, more people had their prescription drugs covered by government insurance programs through Medicare and Medicaid. In 2001, 17 percent of prescription opioids were covered using government insurance. That rose to 63 percent by 2015.

This increased access made opioid use more affordable.

“A person on Medicare would only pay $9.78 per gram, or between $1,785 and $3,570 per year (in 2007 dollars), to fund an opioid addiction,” the report authors note.

The authors estimate that lower prices can account for between 31 and 83 percent of the rise in opioid deaths between 2001 and 2010, but other factors were also at play during this first wave of the opioid epidemic.

“Falling out-of-pocket prices could not have led to a major rise in opioid misuse and overdose deaths without the increased availability of prescription opioids resulting from changes in pain-management practice guidelines that encouraged liberalized dispensing practices by doctors, illicit ‘pill mills,’ increased marketing and promotion efforts from industry, and inadequate monitoring or control against drug diversion,” they wrote.

Cost also played a part in the second wave of the epidemic, when people who had become hooked on pills turned to even less expensive street drugs, including heroin and fentanyl, to get their fix.

“The reduction in prescription opioid misuse had the unintended consequence of raising demand for cheaper, more readily available substitutes in the illicit market and thus opened a market opportunity for illicit drug suppliers to fill,” report authors wrote.

Today, access to opioids is tightly controlled for people on Medicare, following legislation passed in 2018.

View the original article at thefix.com

2 May 2019
Lead Found in Michigan Vape Cartridges

State officials noted that manufacturers outside of the U.S. may still use lead to create their e-cigarette and vape cartridge products.

Officials in Michigan are urging the state’s medicinal cannabis retailers to test their vape cartridges for heavy metals after several brands were found to have been contaminated with lead.

A safety bulletin issued by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) revealed that the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation (BMR) had identified and destroyed the contaminated cartridges, and encouraged retailers, as well as patients and caregivers, to have their products tested.

Studies have shown that lead and other heavy metals, which have been detected in vapors from e-cigarette products, pose significant health risks to users.

According to the LARA press release, the contaminated cartridges were discovered when the BMR entered the test results in the statewide monitoring system, per Michigan regulations that, as High Times noted, require samples from vape cartridges to be submitted for testing at state labs. The bulletin also noted that lead was not discovered in any ceramic vape products.

As a result of the test findings, the BMR requested that licensed provisioning centers have their cartridges tested. Medical marijuana patients and caregivers that dispense medical marijuana could also have their cartridges tested for a fee at a licensed safety compliance facility.

The bulletin also noted that while federal regulations have eliminated the need to add lead to brass or copper products as was done in the past, manufacturers outside of the United States may still use lead to create their e-cigarette and vape cartridge products. Lead and other metal contaminates can leak into the products’ e-liquids when they are exposed to the heating coils. The metals are present in the aerosols produced by heating the liquids, which are then inhaled by the user.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found lead and other metals, including chromium, manganese and nickel, in vapors produced by some e-cigarette products. High Times quoted an interview in Forbes with medical device marketing consultant Rich Able, who said that chronic exposure to these chemicals could have a serious and detrimental effect on users’ health.

“Neurotoxins such as lead are linked to increased risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease,” said Able. “The other metals listed are even more nefarious to human organs.”

Able also noted that federal regulation of such products is key to preventing similar incidents of exposure. “To continue manufacturing these devices to the smoking population without further diligence and clinical review is unethical and unconscionable,” he said.

View the original article at thefix.com

2 May 2019
PSAs Feature Kids With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

A new public health campaign is challenging the idea that light drinking — like having a glass of wine or a beer — is safe during pregnancy.

A new public service announcement campaign features children and young adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, questioning the assumption that light or moderate drinking during pregnancy is safe.

The campaign was put together by the Proof Alliance, an organization that aims to educate people about the risks of consuming alcohol during pregnancy, which can lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The disorder causes a host of cognitive delays and other health issues.

While the health effects of heavy drinking while pregnant are widely acknowledged, the Proof Alliance wants to challenge the idea that light drinking — like having a glass of wine or a beer — is safe. The campaign highlights articles and social media posts that argue that drinking small amounts during pregnancy is safe, and then shows actors with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder pushing back on the idea.

“Alcohol is alcohol,” a boy says in one of the campaign’s videos.

“Drinking any amount during pregnancy is dangerous,” another boys says. “We have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and we are proof.”

The campaign points to research that indicates 1 in 20 American children may have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

In addition to the public service announcement videos, the Proof Alliance is also running billboard ads with blunt messages like “Placentas aren’t magical booze blockers,” “Drinking during pregnancy is the leading cause of preventable brain injury in the U.S.” and “Even a little red wine can give baby brain damage.”

The Proof Alliance also launched a website — DrinkingWhilePregnant.org — with strong images and messages designed to make a lasting impression.

“All major medical organizations advise abstaining completely from alcohol during pregnancy — from conception through birth,” the site reads.

“The problem with drinking alcohol during your pregnancy is that there is no amount that has been proven to be safe,” said Dr. Jacques Moritz, according to the website.

Although experts believe that the rate of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder might be underestimated, it is very difficult to accurately measure the condition.

“It’s impossible to know what proportion of these deficits were caused by fetal alcohol exposure,” authors of a study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found.

“We have long thought and believed that estimates that we had previously in the U.S. were pretty gross underestimates,” Christina Chambers, a study author and a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, told CNN at the time. “It’s not an easy disorder to recognize.”

View the original article at thefix.com

2 May 2019
Virgin Islands Struggle With Mental Health Crisis After 2017 Hurricanes

The children of the U.S. Virgin Islands were deeply affected by the trauma of surviving two massive hurricanes.

The U.S. Virgin Islands are still struggling to recover from the two devastating hurricanes that hit them along with Puerto Rico and the Southeastern continental U.S. in 2017, according to a report by NPR.

While they slowly rebuild their island’s infrastructure, schools, homes and businesses, the population is also dealing with a mental health crisis fueled by the stress of disrupted government services, lost jobs and severely damaged homes.

Children appear to be having a particularly difficult time. The hurricanes damaged many of the island’s school buildings, forcing them to resort to two four-hour school sessions each school day in order to house and continue education for the kids with half the classrooms.

This change appears to have severely disrupted the typical education process for the children of the Virgin Islands, resulting in behavioral problems and widespread mental health issues. The educational disruption comes on top of the initial trauma of surviving two Category 5 hurricanes.

“We see… regression in behaviors, especially with our little ones who had been potty-trained, reverted to using diapers,” says mental health counselor Vincentia Paul-Constantin. “We see a lot of frustration, cognitive impairment, hopelessness and despair” among older children, she added.

Researchers have found that 60 percent of adults on the island now suffer from depressive symptoms and/or PTSD, as well as 40 percent of children. According to the report, over 20 percent of students in grades 7-12 reported suicidal thoughts and 1 in 12 had attempted suicide.

According to Virgin Islands educators, the past two years have seen a large spike in children acting up in the classroom and an increase in defiant behavior. This has continued even after the schools finally returned to their normal schedule in October 2018.

“They show up in defiance, actual defiance to authority. We have children who are sleeping in the middle of the day,” said Cancryn Junior High School Principal Lisa Ford. “You try to wake them up, they become angry. And maybe that’s what we’re seeing — a lot of anger and defiance.”

The culture on the U.S. Virgin Islands places a lot of shame on mental illness, making people reluctant to seek help. At the same time, there were already very few mental health professionals available. The local government only employed one full-time and one part-time psychiatrist for the entire island, and they and private mental health professionals have reportedly been overwhelmed by a new demand for care.

To help combat this problem, Governor Albert Bryan recently declared a mental health state of emergency in order to expedite the recruitment of psychological experts.

“This is a kind of ‘cry in the dark’ kind of community,” Bryan told NPR. “A lot of that is driven by the stigma. You wouldn’t ostracize somebody who had high blood pressure. Why would you ostracize somebody who has some kind of personality disorder?”

View the original article at thefix.com

2 May 2019
Workers Challenge Japanese Tradition of Drinking With Bosses

One Mitsubishi executive says that “nominication”—drinking with bosses after work—is unproductive and excludes parents of young children.

Younger generation shaking up tradition in the Japanese workplace.

These days, “millennials” in the US are drinking less and more venues are catering to sober patrons, according to recent headlines. Apparently, this younger generation―those between the ages 22-37―is generally more mindful of drinking habits than their parents’ generation.

There seems to be a similar trend happening in Japan as well. According to a recent Bloomberg report, young people in Japan are shaking things up in the workplace, in particular by skipping out on drinks with the boss and co-workers―a practice called “nominication” that is ingrained in Japanese culture. (Nomu, the Japanese word for drink, plus communication.)

Some say that getting after-work drinks with the boss is a great way to de-stress and break the ice between managers and employees. But to others, nominication is unproductive and excludes parents of young children, especially mothers.

As Bloomberg reports, “Some women in particular often resent having to entertain their superiors after a long working day.”

Saiko Nanri, a banking unit executive at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. and mother of two teenage daughters, decided to ditch the tradition altogether. She notified her team that she will not participate in nominication. So far, she says, she’s gotten positive feedback from her employees. Parents in particular expressed their appreciation. “It’s not as if I have any special knowledge to share with my staff by drinking with them every day,” she told Bloomberg.

Bloomberg observed that “bonenkai”―office parties at the end of the year that are often many employers’ “biggest and booziest” events―is also falling out of favor among millennial workers. A survey from last November showed that more than half of 20-somethings have little interest in these parties.

Here at The Fix, we’ve also observed the growing popularity of mindful drinking. It’s easier than ever to live a sober lifestyle. Alcohol-free “mocktails” are becoming more sophisticated, “sober bars” offer a place to socialize, and the market for low- or no-alcohol beverages is growing.

It will be interesting to see how this trend progresses and how drinking culture―abroad and stateside―will evolve over time.

View the original article at thefix.com

1 May 2019
Mexico May Legalize Marijuana by Fall of 2019

Polls currently show that 80% of the public in Mexico support legalization efforts.

Mexico may join a growing list of countries with full legalized access to marijuana when lawmakers convene in May to draft a regulation bill that may take effect in late 2019.

A key committee member of the country’s Senate Justice Committee, which has been tasked with reworking existing marijuana laws in the wake of the 2018 Supreme Court decision to strike down a ban on cannabis consumption, was quoted in a newsletter posted by the Senate that the committee will use an upcoming recess in May to finalize the bill prior to the Supreme Court’s deadline of October 2019.

Polls currently show that 80% of the public in Mexico support legalization efforts.

Senate Justice Committee chairman Ramon Menchaca Salazar said that his group will “take advantage of the recess period,” which takes place May 1 to May 30, to finalize legislation, and has already met with Mexico’s attorney general to discuss the proposed bill.

“Canada already decriminalized, and marijuana is decriminalized in several states of the United States,” said former senator Olga Sanchez Cordero, who now serves as Mexico’s interior minister. “What are we thinking? We are going to try to move forward.”

Mexico legalized medical marijuana in 2017, but broad legalization efforts were stymied until the Supreme Court decision, which was the fifth such ruling against the recreational pot ban since 2015. Five amparos, or federal injunctions, must be successfully filed before national law can be changed in Mexico, and the Supreme Court ruled on the fifth and final such effort on October 31, 2018, which declared the ban unconstitutional.

Marijuana Moment stated that the Senate Health Commission held a hearing on marijuana law reform earlier this month, where lawmakers testified about the realities of regulating such a market. Among the benefits cited were improvements to public health through improvements to production and distribution of cannabis. Regulation could also help curb the violence which, according to legalization supporters, claimed more than 230,000 lives in the country’s fight against drug cartels.

Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno, who serves as executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, issued a press release which stated that “Mexico will demonstrate regional leadership and take an important step towards reforming the misguided policies that have caused such devastating harm in recent decades.”

As the Motley Fool noted, legalization in Mexico could make the country the largest marijuana market in the world. Population numbers currently hover around 132 million – more than triple that of Canada, which in 2018, reported that one in six adults used marijuana.

The Motley Fool also noted that if a similar number of adults in Mexico bought legal cannabis, the country could not only pass sales figures in Canada but also California, the fifth largest economy in the world.

View the original article at thefix.com

1 May 2019
Programs Aim to Bridge Addiction Treatment Gap After Jail

Treatment programs both public and private are working to keep newly-released inmates on the right track.

Programs are popping up around the country aiming to help people with substance use disorder stay sober after they are released from jail—a time that can be especially dangerous for those who have been in forced sobriety while behind bars but were not given the necessary treatment to stay sober on the outside.

“A lot of people come out of prison, and they don’t have anything, and it’s really hard to be successful,” Judge Linda Bell, who presides over an opioid court in Las Vegas, Nevada, told News3 Las Vegas.

The program that Bell oversees helps people released on parole stay sober by connecting them with medication-assisted treatment, housing, counseling and other supports.

“If it’s still available, I’d like to stay an extra month and continue to stay in sober living,” parolee Clayton Dempster told Bell during a recent court hearing.

Bell does her best to help people like Dempster stay sober, but also imposes consequences if they’re not adhering to the terms of their release by staying in recovery.

“I have frequent status checks to make sure all of that is going well. If it’s not, I might impose community service or even a short jail sanction,” she said.

While programs like the one Bell runs, which is grant funded, are part of the criminal justice system, other programs outside the system are also trying to help newly-released inmates stay sober.

In Baltimore, a privately-funded van parked outside the city jail helps people connect with many of the same services provided in Bell’s courtroom, like medication-assisted treatment—bridging the gap that opens when people are released from jail but not put in touch with ongoing services.

“This program works,” Michael Rice, a client of the van, told Vox.

Without a functioning government system to help people, especially in cities like Baltimore, private organizations and foundations are left providing lifesaving treatment to people at risk.

“There are plenty of high-threshold options, but not enough low-threshold options,” said Natanya Robinowitz, executive director of Charm City Care Connection, which provides treatment services in Baltimore. “If you had a functioning system, it would be very low-threshold.”

Because access to treatment can be prohibitively expensive, especially for people who don’t have insurance, jails have become the default detox and treatment facilities for people with substance use disorder.

Because of that, there has been more recent support for evidence-driven treatment options like medication-assisted treatment, but still only about 12 percent of jails provide it. Fewer still provide services after a client leaves. However, even in the law enforcement community people are beginning to realize that treatment provided in jails and after release can be lifesaving.

“We know if you are an opiate user you come in here, you detox, and you go out—it’s a 40% chance of OD-ing,” said Carlos Morales, the director of correctional health services for California’s San Mateo County. “And we have the potential to do something about it.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 May 2019
U.S. Reps Say Stop Classifying Marijuana as a Dangerous Drug

The federal government currently classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, impeding important research and new medical treatments.

U.S. Representatives Earl L. Carter and Earl Blumenauer published a call for the government to remove marijuana from the list of Schedule I drugs in NBC News’ opinion section Monday. They argue that marijuana’s current classification, which labels cannabis as dangerous and without any medical benefits, has prevented researchers from studying a substance that is being legalized on a medical and recreational basis across the country.

Carter, a Georgia Republican, and Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, believe that it’s past time to remove many of the hoops researchers must go through to even begin to study the effects and medical benefits of cannabis.

“[R]esearchers seeking to conduct clinical research must jump through several hoops to submit an application to the FDA and get approval from the DEA before starting their work,” they wrote. “Furthermore, all research efforts must go through the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the cannabis used must be sourced from their authorized facility. In 2016, the DEA announced that it would create a process to license additional manufacturers for research, but it has yet to approve a single application despite bipartisan congressional pressure.”

The representatives support their argument by pointing out that over 90 percent of U.S. residents approve of legalizing cannabis for medical purposes and the FDA approved oral cannabidiol (CBD) solution for the treatment of two forms of epilepsy in 2018. They also express concern that not only could the current red tape prevent people from getting treatment that could help them, it could be preventing some from realizing that they “need to pursue a different treatment.”

An increasing number of federal U.S. legislators have been getting on board in terms of cannabis decriminalization or full legalization. Recent business deals between large cannabis companies have caused speculation that legalization could be right around the corner in spite of the DEA’s continued refusal to take the drug off of the list of the most tightly-controlled substances.

As more states legalize cannabis and more people try it for treatment of physical and psychological illnesses, there has been increasing concern that research has fallen too far behind. As the opioid epidemic has raised questions about what to do about the millions of people who need regular pain relief, U.S. researchers have been unable to quickly and effectively research how well cannabis could act as a full or partial replacement for drugs that are physically addictive and carry the risk of overdose.

“The chemistry found only in cannabis plants can provide relief across an incredible array of adverse health states. It does this with minimal side effects and with the prospect of being eminently cost-effective in its use,” said ANANDA Scientific CEO Dr. Mark Rosenfeld.

“The medicinal use of cannabis today has its roots in the 1960s, when Israeli scientists began studies on its unique chemistry. A government program for administering medical cannabis has been in place there for 12 years, and doctors do not hesitate to encourage its use as an effective pharmaceutical alternative. Meanwhile, the United States remains regrettably behind because of its draconian and antiquated anti-cannabis laws.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 May 2019