opioids
Ohio Senate budget would shield opioid settlement foundation from public scrutiny
Last month, the Ohio Supreme Court ordered OneOhio Recovery Foundation to hand over public records. If the state Senate gets its way on the budget, the non-profit managing opioid settlement proceeds might never have to do so again. The Senate’s version of the budget orders the OneOhio board to hold meetings in public, but it […]
How the pandemic helped spread fentanyl and drive opioid overdose deaths to a grim new high
By Andrew Kolodny, Brandeis University For the past 20 years, I have been engaged in efforts to end the opioid epidemic, as a public health official, researcher and clinician. And for every one of those years I have looked on as the number of deaths from drug overdoses has set a new record high. Yet […]
Ohio lawmaker calls on Congress to investigate opioid consultant
Management consulting firm McKinsey and Company has already been forced into nearly $600 million in settlements over its role in fueling the opioid crisis that’s taken the lives of more than 450,000 Americans the last two decades, but an Ohio state representative wants Congress to investigate the firm further. Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, pointed to […]
McKinsey never told the FDA it was working for opioid makers while also working for the agency
By Ian MacDougall for ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica Since 2008, McKinsey & Company has regularly advised the Food and Drug Administration’s drug-regulation division, according to agency records. The consulting giant has had its hand in a range of important FDA projects, from revamping drug-approval processes to implementing new tools for monitoring […]
OxyContin created the opioid crisis, but stigma and prohibition have fueled it
By Emily B. Campbell, College of the Holy Cross The highly contentious Purdue Pharma settlement announced Sept. 1, 2021, comes at a pivotal time for the U.S. overdose crisis: 2020 was the worst year on record, with over 93,000 Americans losing their lives to fatal drug overdose. The drug overdose epidemic, now more than two […]
The ‘other epidemic’ of opioids rages on
Last week, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services announced $13 million in new grants awarded to community organizations trying to reduce opioid overdoses in the state. That’s right, another epidemic is still raging while we tap the “refresh” buttons on our browsers hoping for our COVID-19 vaccination appointments. According to the most […]
Ohio overdoses increased 7% last year, CDC data says
CDC data indicates drug overdoses in Ohio increased last year, a painful reminder that COVID-19 is just one ongoing public health crisis in the U.S. Provisional data shows 4,280 Ohioans died of drug overdoses in 2019, up 7% from 2018. Nearly 3,500 of the deaths are attributable to opioids. Nationally, drug overdoses hit a record […]
Life on welfare isn’t what most people think it is
When Americans talk about people receiving public assistance – food stamps, disability, unemployment payments and other government help – they often have stereotypes and inaccurate perceptions of who those people are and what their lives are like. Statistics can help clarify the picture by challenging false stereotypes of undeserving people gaming the system, but people’s […]
History Thursday, energy efficiency, illicit drug trends, and water bill tax liens
Each day in our newsletter, we are highlighting stories and commentary from other media big and small throughout Ohio and the nation. If you’d like to get this feature directly to your inbox, please sign up for our newsletter here. Catching Our Eye: History Thursday. Today the OCJ’s Tyler Buchanan took a look back at 100 years of […]
History Thursday, changing the poverty line, voucher negotiations, and opioid settlements
Each day in our newsletter, we are highlighting stories and commentary from other media big and small throughout Ohio and the nation. If you’d like to get this feature directly to your inbox, please sign up for our newsletter here. Catching Our Eye: History Thursday. If you talk to cops around Ohio, you probably already know: […]
State health experts ask Congress for help combating opioid crisis
WASHINGTON — States need sustained, flexible federal funding to support programs working to reduce deaths and addiction from opioids and other drugs, health officials told Congress today. Public health officials asked lawmakers for continued commitment to Medicaid and programs that help states address drug addiction problems. A panel of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce […]
States will be able to use federal opioid money to also combat meth, cocaine
Federal grant money awarded to states to combat the opioid epidemic can also be used to address rising methamphetamine and cocaine use, according to language included in the final 2020 federal funding package. The Combating Meth & Cocaine Act was introduced by Ohio U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, and comes as law enforcement officials around […]