Tragedy Moves A Community To Combat Drug Addiction
The death of a teenager in 2012 shocked residents of a small Vermont city to come together and fight its opiate problem. The efforts are paying off.
addiction
Insurers Hire Social Workers To Tackle The Opioid Epidemic
Some health plans in Massachusetts are putting tighter limits on painkiller prescriptions. Others are hiring their own social workers to help customers who struggle with opioid abuse quit for good.
Opioid Abuse Takes A Toll On Workers And Their Employers
Many employers who test for drugs don't screen employees for opioids. Yet opioid abuse is linked to problems with workplace productivity and safety.
Anatomy Of Addiction: How Heroin And Opioids Hijack The Brain
Roughly 2.5 million Americans are addicted to heroin and opioids like Oxycontin. Researchers say addiction takes over the brain's limbic reward system, impairing decision making, judgment and memory.
#MemeOfTheWeek: 'D-Money,' Race And Drugs In America
Maine's governor made some offensive comments about black men, young white women and Maine's drug problem. He says it was a slip, but it may reveal a lot about the way many think about drugs.
California Expands Substance Abuse Treatment For Low-Income Residents
The state is the first to get federal permission to use Medicaid funds to pay for residential treatment for people battling addictions. The goal: get people healthy and save on other medical costs.
Is Prescription Opioid Abuse A Crime Problem Or A Health Problem?
People still think that abuse of opioid painkillers is something that criminals do, a study of news media coverage finds. Options like expanded access to treatment are rarely mentioned.
When Drug Treatment For Narcotic Addiction Never Ends
Medicines that help users wean themselves from opioid drugs can be prescribed in a doctor's office or clinic. But some clients question whether the clinics always have their best interests at heart.
Mothers Who Lost Children To Addiction Unite To Change Laws
Women whose children have become addicted to opioids are working to change laws around the country. They seek improved access to treatment and reduced stigma.
Surge In Use Of 'Synthetic Marijuana' Still One Step Ahead Of The Law
Outlawing more than a dozen cannabinoids — chemicals concocted in labs and sprayed on leaves to create this risky street drug — hasn't stopped the problem. Chemists just make new versions.