Welcome to This Week in Recovery, a weekly recap of the 5 biggest stories in the recovery industry.
When Opioid Treatment Fails: Man Injected Cocaine to ‘Feel Something’ – USA Today
After eight years into opioid-addiction treatment, Paul Moore was shooting cocaine into his arms and legs up to 20 times a day so he could “feel something”. As the opioid crisis rages on, stories of opioid patients turning to other, more potent, substances have become common.
Seventh Person Dead From Vaping-Related Causes – CNN
A man in California became the seventh person to die from vaping-related illness in the United States. In light of these deaths and lung-related injuries, the Center for Disease Control is looking into hundreds of cases of lung illness associated with e-cigarette use. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week that the state plans to launch a $20 million ad campaign to warn against the dangers of vaping.
How The Opioid Epidemic Is Impacting Hospitals and Frontline Caregivers – New York Times
Since 2001, the opioid epidemic has cost the country more than $216 billion in health costs, with more to come. This has impacted our nation’s hospitals, which have provided billions of dollars of unreimbursed care as many patients are unable to pay out-of-pocket expenses or because of a lack of insurance. Today, hundreds of hospitals have filed state and federal lawsuits seeking compensation for the billions of dollars lost for uncompensated care.
Purdue Pharma Files For Bankruptcy – NPR
Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection early this week just days after settling with more than 2,000 local government suits for its alleged role in creating and contributing to the opioid crisis. The Sackler family agreed to relinquish ownership rights of the company and provide $3 billion over several years to assist communities hit by the opioid epidemic.
How A College Dropout Became A Fentanyl Kingpin – Washington Post
Aaron Shamo, a college dropout living in Utah built a multimillion-dollar opioid drug ring and operated what he considered an “empire” all from his basement in Utah using a few friends. They would buy the drug from an online marketplace and distributed them, along with fake Xanax tablets via the U.S. mail. Prosecutors say they sold at least half a million pills over two years.
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