Wellspring Center for Prevention
Promoting Healthy Living Through Education, Training & Advocacy
Addiction News & Policy Update for Week Ending November 12, 2021
Need for liver transplants due to heavy drinking soared during the pandemic, study finds
They found the number of people who got a liver transplant or were put on a waiting list due to alcoholic hepatitis was 50% higher than what was forecast based on pre-pandemic trends.Improving Behavioral Health Services in the Time of COVID-19 and Racial Inequities
The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), coupled with the increasing awareness of racial inequity in the United States, as sparked by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police officers, has led to a moment of reckoning regarding health inequities in the United States.
Mental health care was already inequitable and in short supply in the U.S. This Axios AM Deep Dive, led by health care reporter Caitlin Owens, looks at how the pandemic made it worse.
To End the Drug Crisis, Bring Addiction Out of the Shadows
Far too often, shame and stigma fuel addiction and prevent treatment, argues Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. But replacing judgment with compassion can save lives.
Teen Marijuana Use Is Not Increasing As More States Legalize, Another Federal Study Shows
Youth marijuana use dropped in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic and as more states moved to enact legalization, a newly released federal survey found. The latest dataset from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is yet another example of a federally backed study challenging the prohibitionist narrative that ending cannabis prohibition for adults will lead to increased underage usage.