Sunday, March 29, 2015 11:47:57 PM
Editorial Posted Mar. 29, 2015 at 9:13 PM/Updated at 9:18 PM
Click For Link
Opioid addiction is not a moral failure or a character flaw. It is a chronic brain disease, recognized in medical literature as substance abuse disorder. Some people – as many as one in three, researchers say – are especially susceptible to addiction if exposed to opioids, whether prescription painkillers or heroin, their chemical twin.
Opioid addiction is not a death sentence. As with other chronic diseases with a behavioral component – like diabetes or hypertension – the changes opioids make in the addict’s brain can’t be cured, but they can be controlled through a variety of treatments.
With the rapid increase in opioid prescriptions and the related increase in heroin use, the challenge is to boost prevention efforts and make treatment more available for those who need it.
That’s a tall order, one being tackled by a working group appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker and initiatives before the Legislature. Here are a few suggestions:
The state needs more treatment beds, in different kinds of programs, to meet a growing demand. This will be expensive, and the state budget is facing a deep deficit already. But one size cannot fit all, and the funding can come from a variety of sources. State officials must start with a comprehensive inventory of resources and needs.
Incarceration is no cure for addiction, but the path to recovery often runs through the courts system. Courts can order treatment and regular drug tests, backed up by the threat of incarceration, to help addicts get and stay on the right path.
County sheriffs have incorporated addiction treatment programs into their jails, but funding and the treatment approaches are inconsistent. The Legislature should provide funding and “best practices” guidance, so that an addict’s chance to get the treatment he or she needs doesn’t depend on getting arrested in the right county.
Civil commitments, in which family members appeal to the courts to lock up addicts charged with no crime, must be reformed. Often the people committed still get no treatment, and the program is wasteful of public resources, since the cost of housing a prisoner in jail – up to $50,000 a year and higher for some populations – could buy much more treatment in other settings.
Massachusetts needs a centralized database of treatment facilities, with real-time information on available beds and the rules governing them. Addicts and their family members need a toll-free number to call to find out where treatment opportunities are available.
Despite recent efforts to target “pill mills,” opioid painkillers are still finding their way into the black market. Prescription monitoring programs must be expanded to catch those engaged in doctor-shopping, especially across state lines.
Keeping prescription opioids away from first-time users is more important than keeping them from those already addicted. Health care professionals must cut back on prescribing opioids when less addictive painkillers would suffice, and should screen patients for susceptibility to substance abuse disorder before prescribing opioids.
The medical community must accept that addiction is a chronic disease and adjust to it. There should be more addiction specialists, and training in best practices for all providers. Primary care physicians should discuss addiction with their patients, screen for susceptibility to substance abuse disorder and treat it as a condition that must be regularly monitored.
The largest barriers to addiction treatment are shame and stigma. It’s time for addiction to be pulled out of the closet, so that people in its grip can get the help they need. Opioid addiction can be prevented and it can be successfully treated; but first it must be understood.
TRUTH
I've never claimed to have all the answers but feel i'm beginning to corner the market in questions worthy of them.
Recent TTNP News
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/25/2024 09:33:11 PM
- Titan Pharmaceuticals Fully Compliant With NASDAQ Listing Criteria • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 01/25/2024 09:29:23 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/18/2024 09:59:05 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/08/2024 10:13:45 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 12/28/2023 09:30:20 PM
- Titan Pharmaceuticals Announces Reverse Stock Split and Ratio • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 12/28/2023 09:15:00 PM
- Form DEF 14A - Other definitive proxy statements • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 11/28/2023 09:47:46 PM
- Form PRE 14A - Other preliminary proxy statements • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 11/17/2023 09:03:19 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 11/15/2023 09:05:15 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/26/2023 08:33:07 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/26/2023 08:31:25 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/26/2023 08:29:31 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/26/2023 08:25:57 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/26/2023 08:23:37 PM
- Form S-8 - Securities to be offered to employees in employee benefit plans • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/24/2023 09:26:34 PM
- Form 3 - Initial statement of beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/23/2023 07:07:26 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/16/2023 09:08:35 PM
- Titan Pharmaceuticals Announces Appointment of Dato' Seow Gim Shen and Brynner Chaim to the Company's Board of Directors • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 10/16/2023 08:37:23 PM
- Form SC 13D - General statement of acquisition of beneficial ownership • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/04/2023 09:30:18 PM
- Form 8-K/A - Current report: [Amend] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/19/2023 08:41:40 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/18/2023 08:45:22 PM
- Titan Pharmaceuticals Announces $9.5 Million Private Placement of Convertible Preferred Stock • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 09/18/2023 11:30:00 AM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/08/2023 09:30:03 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 08/30/2023 08:28:25 PM
Avant Technologies Equipping AI-Managed Data Center with High Performance Computing Systems • AVAI • May 10, 2024 8:00 AM
VAYK Discloses Strategic Conversation on Potential Acquisition of $4 Million Home Service Business • VAYK • May 9, 2024 9:00 AM
Bantec's Howco Awarded $4.19 Million Dollar U.S. Department of Defense Contract • BANT • May 8, 2024 10:00 AM
Element79 Gold Corp Successfully Closes Maverick Springs Option Agreement • ELEM • May 8, 2024 9:05 AM
Kona Gold Beverages, Inc. Achieves April Revenues Exceeding $586,000 • KGKG • May 8, 2024 8:30 AM
Epazz plans to spin off Galaxy Batteries Inc. • EPAZ • May 8, 2024 7:05 AM