Public Health Officials Seek To Warn LA Homeless About Dangers Of Spice
The drug has been available on Skid Row for years, but health experts, reacting to two recent episodes of multiple overdoses, say it is risky because it’s impossible to know what’s in each batch. Also in the news, reports on the opioid epidemic.
Los Angeles Times:
'The Cheapest Buzz You Can Get On Skid Row': Officials Try To Stop Homeless From Smoking Spice After Dozens Sickened
Now officials are scrambling to warn people about the drug, which can produce effects similar to those of marijuana but is actually a different plant material sprayed with a psychoactive chemical. Health experts say smoking spice is risky because it’s impossible to know what’s in each batch. Spice has been available on skid row for years, with several people on San Pedro Street peddling it every day, advocates say. Spice joints go for a dollar or less, making them an appealing fix for addicts — and a challenge for those trying to tamp down sales, said skid row activist General Jeff Page. (Karlamangla, 8/25)
Stat:
Street Drugs, Not Prescriptions, Now Powering Opioid Crisis
The widespread abuse of the potent opioid fentanyl appears to be largely the result of illicit manufacturing of the synthetic drug as opposed to the misuse of legally prescribed versions of the painkiller, according to two US government studies released Thursday. That represents a dramatic change in the way opioids have traditionally been abused, and means public health officials will likely have to adjust their response to the two-decade-long crisis. (Armstrong, 8/25)
CBS:
Surgeon General Takes Unprecedented Step Amid Opioid Epidemic
Opioids cause more than 1,000 emergency room visits and kills 78 people every day. ... Now, to tackle this health crisis, Dr. (Vivek) Murthy is taking the unprecedented step of mailing letters to the 2.3 million prescribers in America, urging them to to do three things. (8/25)