Addiction News & Policy Update for Week Ending April 6, 2018

Dentist association pushes to curb opioid painkillers

The American Dental Association wants dentists to drastically cut back on prescribing opioid painkillers.
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Americans take more pain pills — but not because they’re in more pain

Americans consume prescription opioids at a greater rate than any other population in the world, according to research data.
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Here’s how much marijuana you’d need to be eligible for the death penalty under federal law

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo encouraging federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for certain drug trafficking offenses. Federal law allows for capital punishment in drug trafficking cases involving murder or homicide. But the attorney general also specifically called out one provision that allows for capital punishment in cases involving “extremely large quantities of drugs.”
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Addiction Rehab is Broken. Can Technology Fix It?

My time in rehab for an opioid addiction left me humiliated and desperate to know why my friends were dying. Now a wave of app developers are trying to do things differently.
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Synthetic Cannabinoid Spice Products Linked To Unusual Severe Bleeding Cases

Illinois public health authorities have warned healthcare workers and school nurses and administrators to be on the lookout for students and patients with unexplained bleeding.
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Recognizing Addiction and the Elderly

The hospital that I work at has treated many elderly patients for addiction.  Many people may not even realize their older relatives may have an addiction problem.
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Schools Can Be First Defense Against Addiction

Spenser Flowers went from homecoming king to overdose victim in 27 months, and that wake-up call led to a summit at which multiple levels of government, including the schools, joined with clergy and medical professionals to fight the epidemic.
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