Welcome to This Week in Recovery, a weekly recap of the 5 biggest stories in the recovery industry.
How Secondhand Drinking Ruins Lives – The Guardian
The Alcohol Research Group at the Public Health Institute in Emeryville, California published research that found that 53 million Americans each year experience harm from another individual’s alcohol use. While many countries have treated secondhand smoking as a serious public health threat, many are slow to notice or challenge secondhand drinking.
Examining The Brain Of An Opioid User – Washington Post
Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and other government scientists have been researching brain-scanning technologies to look into how opioids and medication-assisted treatment programs can impact a person’s neurocognitive abilities and functions.
People Have a Higher Risk of Overdose If Family Members Have Prescriptions – Vox
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that family members who had previously received opioid prescriptions were about three times as likely to report an overdose that ended with hospitalization or an emergency room visit. The more opioids a family member was prescribed, the more likely of an overdose would occur.
Under New State Law, Drug Dealer Could Be Charged With Murder – CNN
Under new state law in North Carolina, a drug dealer who is found selling a controlled substance that causes someone’s death may be charged with second-degree murder. The “Death by Distribution” act signed into law by this week allows prosecutors to charge dealers with a class B2 felony which can carry a penalty of up to 40 years in prison.
Hawaii Decriminalizes Marijuana – ABC News
On Tuesday (7/9), Hawaii became the 26th state to decriminalize or legalize marijuana. The new law removed the possibility of jail time as a penalty for up to three grams of marijuana but maintains a $130 fine. The new law will take effect on January 11, 2020.
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Opioid Use Disorder And Its Effects
Every day 130 Americans die from opioid overdoses. The issue has become so severe that the opioid crisis in the country was declared a public health emergency in October 2017. You can learn more about opioid use disorder and the effects of the problem in this week’s featured article.
