Following up on yesterday's post, a few articles jumped out at me. First, the Michigan legislature is considering lowering the blood alcohol level for boats and other recreational vehicles to 0.08, so that it matches the BAL for driving a car. Sorta makes sense, right? Look at the comments in the Detroit Free Press and the … Continue reading Alcohol’s place in our culture
Category: Controversies
“look at alcohol!”
I frequently find myself in discussions about drug policy. I feel strongly that incarcerating people for possession is stupid and wrong, but I'm reluctant to legalize drugs. (I think there are a lot of options in between.) In these discussions, I inevitably hear someone say, "Look at alcohol. It's way worse and it's legal!" My … Continue reading “look at alcohol!”
Sentences to ponder
In a book review of Drugs for Life, while discussing the Pharma driven model of health that pathologizes many normal experiences/processes" ...even while risk and illness are treated, health itself can be ill-served.
Pharma gamesmanship in addiction
Points offers a post summarizing the history of Suboxone up to the present. Including the role of NIDA in helping Reckitt: Reckitt brought Subutex and Suboxone to market with part of the costs of development absorbed by NIDA “to ease the burden to Reckitts” (Campbell and Lovell 2012: 135). They note that Reckitt had … Continue reading Pharma gamesmanship in addiction
The benefits of harm reduction are not as obvious as they seem
Theodore Dalrymple points out the inconsistency in the British Medical Journal's vigorous advocacy for harm reduction where heroin is concerned and its squeamishness with harm reduction for nicotine. He pulls a passage from BMJ and inserts comments: What, then, does the BMJ, so much in favour of harm reduction for heroin addicts, say about harm reduction … Continue reading The benefits of harm reduction are not as obvious as they seem
Michigan’s medical marijuana business
Crain's Detroit has an article on the state's medical marijuana business from the grow side to the physicians. The article says that there have been 344,000 patient applications in the state since 2009 and that doctors often charge around $150 to certify patients, that's $51,600,000 in revenue for the docs. Here's a little from the … Continue reading Michigan’s medical marijuana business
$2.2 billion invested in addiction treatment and behavioral health companies
Businessweek has a damning investigation of for-profit methadone treatment. And, who knew that Bain Capital is such a player? Since Jan. 1, 2009, CRC’s clinics haven’t met staffing standards more than 50 times, regulatory records from 15 states show. Clinics were cited 80 times for failing to document that they gave patients enough counseling. … Continue reading $2.2 billion invested in addiction treatment and behavioral health companies
Sentences to ponder
“My best advice to clinicians, to the press, and to the general public—be skeptical and don't follow DSM-5 blindly down a road likely to lead to massive over-diagnosis and harmful over-medication.” --Allen Frances, Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force
Methadonia
When Methadonia was first released, there was quite a bit of hand wringing over whether the film inaccurately presented methadone maintenance treatment in a negative light. Cassie Rodenberg, at The White Noise, who has been spending time with and blogging about homeless addicts in the Bronx says [emphasis mine]: Some on the streets find methadone worse than an original heroin addiction, while … Continue reading Methadonia
Some people say…
Ugh. A pretty visible blogger resorts to the "some people say" tactic to advance a pet theory that slanders 12-step groups. It's worth noting that he's acknowledged elsewhere that he's had next to zero direct exposure to 12-step groups. His knowledge of 12-step groups and theory are based on internet comments. Ugh. Ugh. The 12-step approach has been said (by … Continue reading Some people say…
Recovery Review 