A Public Health Focus On Coronavirus Shouldn’t Sideline Overdose Prevention Efforts
Recent successes in stemming the opioid crisis could be reversed if public health budgets are cut or the crisis is seen as secondary to the pandemic.
Jacqueline Goldman, Brandon Marshall Apr 14, 2020
Deaths By Suicide and Overdose Skyrocket in North Carolina Jails
A report from an advocacy group says that deaths in the state’s jails have soared— and that 2019 could set a record for suicides.
Zachary A. Siegel Nov 19, 2019
Two Major Victories For A Public Health Approach To The Overdose Crisis
Criminalization as a response to the overdose crisis can cost lives.
Vaidya Gullapalli Oct 07, 2019
‘It Will Certainly Save Lives’: A Q&A About Medicaid Coverage For People Preparing For Re-entry
Federal policy denies incarcerated people Medicaid coverage, making re-entry a time of heightened health risks. Tracie Gardner of the Legal Action Center explains New York State’s effort to “break the cycle of justice-involvement, poor health, economic instability, and recidivism that plagues individuals and families throughout New York.”
Vaidya Gullapalli Sep 18, 2019
Joe Biden’s ‘Crack House’ Crusade
Nearly 20 years ago, Biden urged prosecutors to wield the ‘crack house‘ statute against rave promoters. Now it’s being used to stamp out public health responses to the opioid crisis.
Zachary A. Siegel Sep 11, 2019
Inequality, Not Violence, Is Killing Americans At Record Rates
Media coverage obsessively focuses on homicides, which are at historical lows. Meanwhile, suicides and overdoses skyrocket, quietly driving record declines in American life expectancy.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem Aug 20, 2019
Utah Jail Nurse Faces Negligent Homicide Charge in Death of 21-Year-Old Woman
In 2016, Madison Jensen died from opiate withdrawal at the Duchesne County jail. New court filings allege that jail staff, including its nurse, ignored her rapidly deteriorating health.
Lauren Gill Aug 01, 2019
Media Frame: Fentanyl Panic Is Worsening the Overdose Crisis
Sensational and false news reports about the drug are pushing lawmakers to enact harmful policies.
Zachary A. Siegel, Maia Szalavitz Jul 16, 2019
Law Enforcement Is Urged to ‘Think Like a Parent, Not a Prosecutor’
A new DA in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, is treating the overdose crisis as a criminal matter rather than a community health issue.
Joshua Vaughn Jul 10, 2019
State Trooper Said Man Took Bag From Fentanyl Supplier, But Video Demonstrated That The Deal Never Went Down
Trooper testimony inconsistent with video and misconduct among state and local law enforcement in New Hampshire and Massachusetts have caused at least 15 drug cases to unravel.
Zachary A. Siegel May 20, 2019