drug abuse

Burlington, Vermont Mayor Miro Weinberger announced a series of initiatives Thursday aimed at addressing the opioid crisis in the city.

More than 600 people were at the Strand Theatre in Plattsburgh Tuesday evening for a community forum on the prescription opioid and heroin addiction crisis.  The evening featured a guest expert on how the drugs affect the brain.

Some big names in New York law enforcement have announced the takedown of multi-state drug pipelines.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday $10.5 million over five years will go to support six new Recovery Community and Outreach Centers.

The same day that musician Prince’s death was attributed to an overdose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, Director of National Drug Control Policy Michael Botticelli visited Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to advocate for policies that he says will address addiction by increasing access to treatment and the overdose reversal drug naloxone, improve prescribing practices, and support law enforcement and prevention strategies.

Authorities say they've arrested 10 men in connection with a New York-based ring involved in selling anabolic steroids and money laundering since 2011.  

White House officials have provided more insight into the president’s plan to fight heroin and opioid addiction in his annual budget proposal. As WAMC’s Lucas Willard reports, officials in the Northeast have already declared it a crisis.

On a conference call with White House and other federal officials, more details were provided on the president’s proposals to fight drug addiction within his 2016 budget.

Office of National Drug Control Policy Acting Director Michael Botticelli said the country is having trouble quantifying the epidemic of heroin and opioid addiction.

New York U.S. Senator Charles Schumer was in Albany today to lead the call for getting emergency anti-drug trafficking funding into the Capital Region.

Over the weekend, Americans observed the eighth annual "National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day," an initiative to educate citizens about the potential abuse of medications that may be found around the home.  Residents are being encouraged to make the one-day drive an everyday occurrence. 

A field hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee was held in Rutland on Monday to take testimony on Vermont’s efforts to deal with heroin and opiod addiction.

    In his new book, Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America's Greatest Tragedy, David Sheff shows that addiction is a preventable, treatable disease, not a moral failing.

Sheff’s ongoing research and reporting on the science of addiction earned him a place on Time Magazine's list of the World's Most Influential People.

The nation’s governors held their annual winter meeting Friday through Monday in Washington. A panel on C-SPAN featured a discussion on states’ efforts to combat prescription drug abuse, an issue that took the national stage when Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin devoted January’s state of the state address to the problem.

Washington County law enforcement officials are pushing for more community awareness of drug abuse and addiction through more oversight of pharmacies.

Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan says there are a lot of misconceptions about drug abuse and the reality of highly-addictive methamphetamines.

6:30 Friday morning, search-warrant in hand, the Troy Police Emergency Response Team entered 314 8th Street as part of a robbery investigation. They found 1.2 kilos of cocaine, pure powder cocaine, along with two pancakes of crack cocaine. Some of the drugs were packaged for sale.  Arrests in the case are pending.  Police say the total street value of the drugs exceeds $120,000.

Patient advocates and representatives of the medical community in Massachusetts are submitting comments to the state Board of Public Health to address regulations that aim to curb prescription drug abuse.

Signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick in 2012, An Act relative to prescription drug diversion, abuse and addiction, requires prescribers of pain killers to enroll in the state’s now-voluntary Prescription Monitoring Program upon renewal of their medical licenses. Currently about 1,700 prescribers in Massachusetts are enrolled in the program.

    Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth About Addiction Treatment-and How to Get Help That Works , by medical writer and New York Times bestselling author Anne Fletcher, gives readers an insider’s view of drug and alcohol rehab. It focuses on real people whose stories illustrate the serious issues facing individuals in rehab and endemic in the rehab industry today.

Some stories are disturbing while others are inspiring, as they provide an honest and critical look at the current state of the addiction treatment industry in the U.S., contrasting what goes on in rehab with what experts and scientific studies suggest should go on.

Host Alan Chartock is joined by Nancy D. Campbell, Professor in the Department of Science and Technology Studies and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Campbell, who earned a PhD in the History of Consciousness program at UC Santa Cruz, did her master’s in English at the University of Washington and a bachelor’s in English at Bucknell. She has researched and published on topics such as drug addiction, bioethics, public health and drug policy, and feminist and postcolonial science and technology studies.

Next week, Berkshire residents can safely dispose their old and unused prescription medications in a county-wide effort to reduce drug abuse and addiction. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

On Saturday, September 29th, officials and organizations throughout Berkshire County are cooperating in their sixth semi-annual drive to reduce and safely dispose unused prescription meds. Lois Daunis of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition says her organization is just one of the parties organizing and participating in the event.