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takyon writes:

"The best way to prevent drug addiction and overdose is to prevent people from abusing drugs in the first place. If they don't start, they won't have a problem." – President Donald J. Trump

President Trump has declared the "Opioid Crisis" a nationwide public health emergency. This action will allow for "expanded access to telemedicine services" to remotely prescribe medicines for substance abuse, allow the Department of Health and Human Services to "more quickly make temporary appointments of specialists with the tools and talent needed to respond effectively to our Nation's ongoing public health emergency", allow the Department of Labor to issue dislocated worker grants for those "displaced from the workforce" due to the Opioid Crisis, and will help people with HIV/AIDS to receive substance abuse treatment. The press release lists several actions that the Trump Administration has taken to respond to the Opioid Crisis, including the July 2017 law enforcement action against AlphaBay.

The declaration has been criticized for not requesting any funds to respond to the Crisis. The "nationwide public health emergency" declaration is also distinct from a promised "national emergency declaration", which would have freed up money from the Disaster Relief Fund to be spent on the Crisis. 14 Senate Democrats have introduced a bill that would authorize $45 billion to address the Opioid Crisis. The Obama Administration called on Congress last year to pass just over $1 billion in funding for opioid treatment programs nationwide. This funding was included in the 21st Century Cures Act.

The Department of Justice has arrested and charged the founder and majority owner of Insys Therapeutics Inc., John Kapoor, along with other executives from his company. Kapoor is accused with leading a nationwide conspiracy to bribe doctors and illegally distribute the company's fentanyl spray, intended for cancer patients, so that it could be prescribed for non-cancer patients. Kapoor stepped down as CEO of Insys in January. Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb said, "Mr. Kapoor and his company stand accused of bribing doctors to overprescribe a potent opioid and committing fraud on insurance companies solely for profit. Today's arrest and charges reflect our ongoing efforts to attack the opioid crisis from all angles. We must hold the industry and its leadership accountable - just as we would the cartels or a street-level drug dealer." Six former Insys executives and managers were charged in December.

[takyon: a262 would like you to know that Insys Therapeutics donated $500,000 to help defeat Arizona's 2016 ballot initiative that would have legalized recreational use of cannabis.]

Walgreens has announced that it will stock Narcan® (naloxone) nasal spray in all of its over 8,000 pharmacies nationwide. Naloxone is a life-saving essential medicine that can reverse opioid overdoses and treat opioid withdrawal. Naloxone is available over-the-counter in 45 states, but still requires a prescription in Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, and Wyoming. Delaware recently allowed over-the-counter sales of naloxone. Laws in Hawaii and Missouri are pending, and Montana has agreed to grant CVS wider access to the drug.

Maybe banning kratom was a mistake.

Nationwide Public Health Emergency: Also at NYT, BBC, Reuters, and Fox News.

Insys Therapeutics Inc.: Also at NPR and Bloomberg.

Walgreens Narcan: Also at NPR, ABC, and CBS.

Previously: 4/20: The Third Time's Not the Charm
Jeff Sessions Reboots the Drug War
Development of a Heroin Vaccine
Goal of US's First Opioid Court: Keep People Alive
Chicago Jail Handing Out Naloxone to Inmates Upon Release

Original Submission   Alternate Submission

1. "takyon" - https://soylentnews.org/~takyon/
2. "declared the "Opioid Crisis" a nationwide public health emergency" - https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/10/26/president-donald-j-trump-taking-action-drug-addiction-and-opioid-crisis
3. "July 2017 law enforcement action" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=17/07/21/0234201
4. "AlphaBay" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaBay
5. "criticized" - http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/357427-opioid-advocates-pan-trump-effort-on-crisis
6. "promised" - https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/26/16552440/opioid-crisis-public-health-emergency-donald-trump-heroin-epidemic
7. "introduced a bill" - http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/357122-senate-dems-want-45b-to-address-opioid-epidemic
8. "called on Congress" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/07/08/0359232
9. "21st Century Cures Act" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_Century_Cures_Act#Opioid_epidemic
10. "Department of Justice has arrested and charged" - https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/founder-and-owner-pharmaceutical-company-insys-arrested-and-charged-racketeering
11. "the company's fentanyl spray" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insys_Therapeutics#Products
12. "were charged in December" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/12/27/1734229
13. "a262" - https://soylentnews.org/~a262/
14. "Insys Therapeutics donated $500,000" - https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-09-08/fentanyl-maker-donates-big-to-campaign-opposing-pot-legalization
15. "Arizona's 2016 ballot initiative" - https://ballotpedia.org/Arizona_Marijuana_Legalization,_Proposition_205_(2016)
16. "announced" - http://news.walgreens.com/press-releases/general-news/walgreens-stocking-life-saving-narcan-nasal-spray-in-all-pharmacies-nationwide.htm
17. "Naloxone" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naloxone
18. "essential medicine" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHO_Model_List_of_Essential_Medicines#Antidotes_and_other_substances_used_in_poisonings
19. "reverse opioid overdoses and treat opioid withdrawal" - https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/opioid-overdose-reversal-naloxone-narcan-evzio
20. "available over-the-counter in 45 states" - https://www.cvs.com/content/prescription-drug-abuse/save-a-life
21. "Delaware" - http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/heroindelaware/2017/07/20/naloxone/484769001/
22. "Montana has agreed to grant CVS wider access" - https://www.drugrehab.com/2016/06/27/pharmacies-expand-access-to-naloxone/
23. "banning kratom was a mistake" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/09/01/0248215
24. "NYT" - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/us/politics/trump-opioid-crisis.html
25. "BBC" - http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41756705
26. "Reuters" - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-opioids-emergency/trump-declares-opioids-a-u-s-public-health-emergency-idUSKBN1CV1XF
27. "Fox News" - http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/26/trump-to-declare-opioid-public-health-emergency.html
28. "NPR" - http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/26/560263997/pharmaceutical-founder-arrested-in-alleged-nationwide-opioid-scheme
29. "Bloomberg" - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-26/insys-therapeutics-founder-charged-in-opioid-fraud-case
30. "NPR" - http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/26/560180901/walgreens-stocks-narcan-opioid-overdose-spray-in-all-pharmacies
31. "ABC" - http://abcnews.go.com/Health/walgreens-offer-drug-naloxone-reverse-opioid-overdoses/story?id=50703736
32. "CBS" - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/narcan-available-at-all-walgreens-locations-nationwide/
33. "4/20: The Third Time's Not the Charm" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=17/04/06/1914231
34. "Jeff Sessions Reboots the Drug War" - https://soylentnews.org/politics/article.pl?sid=17/05/15/2043241
35. "Development of a Heroin Vaccine" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=17/06/28/1433230
36. "Goal of US's First Opioid Court: Keep People Alive" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=17/07/09/1951243
37. "Chicago Jail Handing Out Naloxone to Inmates Upon Release" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=17/07/31/1214218
38. "Original Submission" - https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=22999
39. "Alternate Submission" - https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=23022

printed from SoylentNews, Opioid Crisis Official; Insys Therapeutics Billionaire Founder Charged; Walgreens Stocks Narcan on 2024-04-19 09:53:04