Author: Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I currently serve as the Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care for a healthcare system. I've also served as the Director of Behavioral Health at another hospital. I'm also a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.

Food for thought on the cyclical nature of drug trends

~ Jason Schwartz

First, an historical perspective from Bill White: Most drug epidemics don't simply disappear: they transform themselves into something else. For example, periods of excessive stimulant use are often followed by periods of rising alcohol, sedative and opiate use. There are drug facilitated cycles of stimulation, introspection, intoxication, and emotional anesthesia. Repeated episodes of each drug … Continue reading Food for thought on the cyclical nature of drug trends

Study of Long-acting buprenorphine published–17% respond

~ Jason Schwartz

A new JAMA study concludes, "Long-acting buprenorphine depot formulations appear to be efficacious for treatment of opioid use disorder." Keep reading. They compared the effectiveness of sublingual (oral) and long-acting injections of buprenorphine to see if the long-acting injections are as effective as the sublingual version. The study was 24 weeks. That's better than we … Continue reading Study of Long-acting buprenorphine published–17% respond

What would things look like if we believed they could recover?

~ Jason Schwartz

Over the last week, there have been two noteworthy stories on supervised injection sites. NYC planning supervised injection sites The first story was in the New York Times and reported on NYC considering supervised injection sites and looking to Toronto for their experience. The scouts from NYC are seeking to learn what they can to … Continue reading What would things look like if we believed they could recover?

Why is fentanyl use becoming widespread now?

~ Jason Schwartz ~ 1 Comment

Mark Kleiman responds to the question, why is fentanyl use becoming widespread now? He describes the increase in availability of prescription opioids and the role of price in leading users to transition to heroin. Then, he describes the expansion of fentanyl. At the same time, people in the U.S. were learning how to buy chemicals … Continue reading Why is fentanyl use becoming widespread now?