By Jim Wayne | Opinion Contributor The year was 1972. Denny Crum scouted the best talent for what would become a nationally honored men’s basketball program for the University of Louisville. Sitting with the Southern Indiana high school senior and his working class parents at their dining table, Coach Crum made the[Read More…]
Op-eds & Guest Essays
Marijuana addiction is real. Those struggling often face skepticism.
By David Ovalle and Fenit Nirappil July 31, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT Courtney took her first marijuana puffs at 17. Two decades later, she was raising a toddler son and hiding her dependence from most family members. She would light her pipe more than a dozen times a day, sneaking to the[Read More…]
Remember opioid crisis? It’s gotten worse.
Narcan, generically known as naloxone and used to revive people who overdose on opioids, may not reverse an overdose on xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that has found its way to the streets. Matt Rourke, AP Photo Researchers say a series of interventions appear to help with overdose deaths, but warn[Read More…]
COVID has been hiding another epidemic. We have to do more for our opioid patients.
Last year alone, nearly 110,000 people died from opiate use. This is a pill Americans cannot afford to continue to swallow. Dr. Thomas K. Lew | Opinion Contributor A 40-year-old man arrives in my hospital’s emergency department, blue from not breathing. It takes several rounds of medication and ventilators to[Read More…]
What does it mean to be ‘in recovery’? We need a better federal definition.
By Mitchell Berger | July 11, 2023 STAT News | FIRST OPINION “When I use a word,” one of 19th century British author and mathematician Lewis Carroll’s characters once said, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” Though he was a formidable philosopher and logician, Carroll[Read More…]
Opinion: $42M for psychedelics research is not how Kentucky should be fighting opioid addiction
On May 31, Kentucky’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission announced that it will be allocating approximately $42 million from the state’s Opioid Settlement Fund to research the psychedelic drug, ibogaine. This decision — framed as a way to combat opioid dependence in the future — is misguided, and funds could be used in a number of ways[Read More…]
Today’s Fentanyl-Driven Addiction Crisis Requires All-Hands-On-Deck Approach
By Tim Robinson Tim Robinson is president and CEO of Addiction Recovery Care (ARC), which offers treatment and recovery services throughout Kentucky. Every day in the United States, more than 270 people die from drug overdoses. That’s one person roughly every five minutes. Behind these staggering statistics are real people—mothers,[Read More…]
For Kentuckians Struggling with Substance Use, Nurses Serve a Critical and Lifesaving Role
By Tim Robinson TIm Robinson is president and CEO of Addiction Recovery Care (ARC). When it comes to our health, the right care provider can make all the difference. Suppose you’ve ever been in the doctor’s office, urgent care or hospital for a broken bone, bad virus or the birth[Read More…]
A New Op-Ed Highlights the Need for More Resources to Fight Against the Opioid Crisis
Many health advocates continue to fight the opioid epidemic alone with limited resources to support individuals facing addiction. A new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that since the beginning of the pandemic, over 100,000 Americans have died due to overdoses. Read more here.
New op-ed piece reminds people to remember the opioid epidemic while navigating COVID-19
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Americans struggling with substance use have faced new challenges. More than 100,000 Americans have died from opioid overdoses between April 2020 and April 2021. Read more here.