DEA National Take Back Day Scheduled for October 23
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced that their annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place on October 23. The annual event provides the public with a safe and convenient way to dispose of prescription drugs, and provides education opportunities about medication abuse. During the April 2021 Take Back Day, the DEA and law enforcement partners hosted over 5,000 collection sites and collected over 830,000 pounds of prescription medications.
Articles & Resources
Take Back Day Collection Site Locator
Take Back Day Partnership Toolbox
Legislation Introduced to Expand Opioid Treatment Access
Last week, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Community Re-Entry through Addiction Treatment to Enhance (CREATE) Opportunities Act to support evidence-based opioid-use disorder (OUD) treatment services at correctional facilities. The bill would create a new program at the Department of Justice – the Medication-Assisted Treatment Corrections and Community Reentry Program – which would allow state and local governments to apply for federal funding to provide federally-approved OUD treatment services to individuals in correctional facilities. State and local governments that receive the funding would also be required to also offer individuals access to a recovery services. In a press release, Senator Murkowski said, “For many individuals who are in the criminal justice system and also struggling with opioid abuse or a mental health condition, the transition from incarceration back into their community can be challenging. By ensuring access to medically assisted treatments not only within prisons, but throughout an inmate’s reentry process, we are far more likely to see fewer relapses, overdoses, and recidivism. I’m glad to be working to build out greater access to these resources to give individuals in the criminal justice system an opportunity for a future free from substance abuse.” The CREATE Opportunities Act has been included in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 3.0, which was introduced earlier this year. Representative Ann Kuster (D-NH-2) is expected to introduce companion legislation in the House.
Articles & Resources
Senator Ed Markey – Senators Markey, Murkowski And Representative Kuster Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Expand Access to Opioid Treatment in Correctional Facilities
What We Read Last Week
Several articles were published last week pertaining to the opioid epidemic, covering a variety of different components of the issue. Links to relevant articles are provided below.
AAFP – Task Force Makes Recommendations on SUD, Pain, Mental Health
CNN – How one woman created a network to support the families of those struggling with addiction
Defense Media Network – Opioid Prescriptions Decline Across the Military Health System
Dovepress – Pain Management and Opioid Therapy: Persistent Knowledge Gaps Among Primary Care Providers
FDA – CDER Conversation: Novel Excipient Review Pilot Program
Health Affairs – Improving The Health Of Rural Americans
Health Affairs – Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome Is Associated With Infant Foster Care Entry At The County Level
NPR – Federal judge rejects a government bid to delay Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement
Politico – Biden eyeing FDA veteran Robert Califf to lead the agency
STAT – 5 health tech startups working to address chronic pain without opioids
The Baltimore Sun – New call-in line in Maryland helps doctors treat pregnant women with addictions
Tufts Now – Mapping the Shifting Opioid Epidemic to Aid Public Health Efforts
UCI News – UCI-led study finds medicinal plant extract to prevent morphine addiction
This Week’s Calendar
In the week ahead, there are no relevant events or hearings noticed at this time. In the event that there are any changes to the schedule for this week, we will make additional information available.
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