MEDIA: Confronting the Opioids Epidemic in Our Communities

As America’s opioid epidemic continues to impact communities large and small, new trends are raising new challenges for doctors and policymakers. While opioid-related overdose remains a top concern, the epidemic is now driven by illicitly manufactured fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from drug-related overdoses, according to the U.S. …

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FO’REAL!?: Studies showing potential of CBD as effective Tx for menstrual cramps

There is no good reason to believe that menstrual cramps and menstrual pain are vastly different than regular cramps and pain. Especially because the cramps and pain are often caused by the same hormonal response. This makes the studies still relevant and useful. These studies have shown that CBD can help relieve pain and cramps. …

MEDIA: The Other, Other Opioid Crisis – Tramadol in West Africa

According to a 2016 study commissioned by the United Nations, 90% of all illicit opioids confiscated around the world were seized in North and Western Africa, and the vast majority of those opioids were tramadol tablets produced in India. These Royal-225 tablets are made predominantly by small, family-owned firms in India, who then export the …

sizzlin’STORIES: Opioid Rx misuse higher in LGBTQ people, study finds

A new study on prescription opioid misuse rates by sexual orientation confirms what earlier, less comprehensive studies suggested: Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are at a higher risk for misusing opioids, according to researchers. But the study also raises questions about a worrisome trend in one subset in the LGBT community. If opioid abuse rates …

sizzlin’FEATURES: Lawsuit settlement will allow Maine prison inmate to get medication for opioid addiction

The Maine Department of Corrections will allow a Caribou man to receive medication in prison to treat his opioid use disorder. Zachary Smith, 30, sued the department in July. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine filed the complaint on his behalf in U.S. District Court in Portland, claiming Smith was being denied his rights …

NEWS FEED: Overdose deaths in Maine averaged nearly one per day during first half of 2018

Drug overdoses continued to claim nearly one life per day in Maine during the first six months of 2018 despite intensive efforts – from the State House to sober houses – to slow the opioid crisis. There were 180 overdose deaths in Maine through June 30, down just slightly from the 185 drug-related deaths reported …

NEWS FEED: Dozens stage ‘die-in’ at Portland City Hall to call attention to drug deaths

Fifty-seven people spent nearly an hour of their Friday evening lying motionless on the cold stone plaza in front of Portland City Hall, trying to draw attention to the 57 people who died from drug overdoses in the city last year and efforts to make that number smaller. Each wore black and a number, and …

NEWS FEED: Non-Addictive Painkiller Found Effective

These scientists have been working to find a safe, non-addictive pain killer to help fight the current opioid crisis in this country – and they may have done just that. Known as AT-121, the new chemical compound has dual therapeutic action that suppressed the addictive effects of opioids and produced morphine-like analgesic effects in non-human primates. …

NEWS FEED: How The Opioid Crisis Is Depressing America’s Labor Force

It's been a decade since the financial crisis drove up the unemployment rate in the U.S. and forced people in the prime of their careers to give up looking for work. Even today, as employers add jobs at a furious pace, the workforce participation rate still hasn't recovered. And now researchers think they know one …