Two members of our team - Dr. Gregory Curfman and Professor Leo Beletsky - and friend of PHLW Ameet Sarpatwari have an important new piece out in JAMA Internal Medicine entitled "Benefits, Limitations, and Value of Abuse Deterrent Opioids."
Read more"Graham-Cassidy" Provides Zero Funding to Address the "Opioid Crisis"
One of the few positive provisions of the summer’s Senate “health care” bills was the inclusion of funding to states to “support substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services.” With more than 30,000 people dying from heroin and painkiller overdoses in the United States every year, sufficient funding to address and effectively treat the issue is crucial. Yet the latest version of the “health care” bill has omitted this funding entirely.
Read moreBriefly: Massachusetts Governor Proposes New Crime of Manslaughter for 'Drug Dealers'
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker filed legislation yesterday which would, among other things, create a new crime of manslaughter for drug dealers if a person dies from using their drugs. Specifically, anyone who "manufactures, distributes, or dispenses" any controlled substance would be "strictly liable" if "a death...results from the injection, inhalation, or ingestion of that substance."
Read moreThe Wrong Path: Involuntary Treatment and the Opioid Crisis [from The Crime Report] →
PHLW's Leo Beletsky and Elisabeth Ryan wrote about the increasing use of "Section 35" commitments in Massachusetts over at The Crime Report. This law allows people with substance use disorders to be committed involuntarily to a secure facility for up to 90 days. This is not the way to handle the opioid crisis.
Read moreLaw Enforcement, Drugs, and the 'Public Health' Approach [from The Crime Report]
Leo Beletsky, George Consortium founding member and Associate Professor of Law and Health Sciences at Northeastern University School of Law, wrote "Law Enforcement, Drugs, and the 'Public Health' Approach," for The Crime Report in April 2016. Watch tomorrow for a new piece about the law in Massachusetts that allows individuals with substance use disorders to be involuntarily committed to secure facilities for up to three months.
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