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They lost their brothers to addiction. Now they're tackling deadly stigmas head on, with humor

Tim Greiving

October 22, 2020 |

Los Angeles Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Two women who lost their brothers to heroin overdoses launched the podcast "Last Day" to address death – by drugs and, in season two, by suicide – with a mix of humor, unsettling candor, and conventional-wisdom-busting storytelling. At first a modest startup, their production company now employs 17, topped the podcast charts with almost 4 million downloads, and has rolled out other programs on such topics as body image, bullying, the pandemic, policing, and loneliness. Many of the topics were proposed by listeners to "Last Day," who wanted their problems or questions to get the same treatment.

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Why Portugal decriminalised all drugs

Rebecca Kesby

October 19, 2020 |

BBC |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Portugal

When Portugal became the first country to decriminalize personal possession and use of small amounts of drugs, choosing to shift to treating drug abuse as a health rather than a criminal matter, the feared downside of turning the country into a drug-users' paradise did not materialize. Instead, HIV cases and crime dropped. Law enforcement resources could focus on major trafficking, while the health and social problems associated with the country's serious heroin problem could be addressed in a way that could begin to solve the problem. Up till then, arrests and prison had failed to have such effects.

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Inside Glasgow's Safer Drug Consumption Van

Mattha Busby

September 14, 2020 |

Vice |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Scotland, Glasgow

In Glasglow, a former outreach workers has launched a mobile harm reduction facility to help those who are living with addiction have a safe space to use drugs. Although the idea is controversial and "political," users of the van say that if it weren't for it, they would be risking overdoses or illnesses from using dirty needles.

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A COVID ‘silver lining': You can start drug treatment over the phone — and more people are starting to

Scott Greenstone

August 10, 2020 |

The Seattle Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Although COVID-19 has taken a toll on the healthcare industry, some providers and clinics have figured out a way to eliminate barriers during this time for those seeking treatment. According to the director of the Behavioral Health Institute at Harborview Medical Center in Washington, the healthcare industry has seen "at least five years worth of progress happen in four months" due to the implementation of telemedicine. While this isn't a longterm replacement for in-person visits, many doctors are reporting a rise in patient appointments via this system.

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Using Telemedicine to Treat Opioid Addiction

Tina Rosenberg

August 04, 2020 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

The coronavirus pandemic has largely led to the expansion and adoption of telemedicine, which has helped those seeking treatment for addictions more easily access care. Although advocates of medication-assisted treatment have been working to eliminate barriers to virtual care for years, the pandemic has accelerated these efforts and the outcome has been successful. According to the associate executive director of Prevention Point Philadelphia, “It’s a reduction of the hassle, wait times, anxiety and fear of withdrawal in a waiting room."

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The Coronavirus Is Blowing Up Our Best Response to the Opioid Crisis

Zachary Siegel

July 29, 2020 |

The New Republic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Midland, Michigan

The coronavirus pandemic has correlated with an increase in overdose deaths in the United States, likely due to people going against one of the "central tenets of safety when using drugs: Never use alone" as well as governments' longstanding stigma against allowing supervised consumption sites. To overcome this, a harm reduction service in Midland, Michigan is connecting volunteer operators with "people who have no choice but to use alone" via telephone as a means to offer help if something goes wrong.

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The Temporary Battle Against COVID-19 Taught This N.C. Native Community How to Combat a Longstanding Epidemic

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

July 22, 2020 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cherokee, North Carolina

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians reacted to COVID-19 with aggressive measures that yielded fewer illnesses than in neighboring counties, and no deaths, all without outside help. But one of their preventive measures – roadblocks severely limiting access to the Qualla Boundary, the band's territory – led to a surge in overdose deaths from fentanyl-laced heroin, because drug dealers responded with fewer shipments of more potent drugs. Overdoses eventually subsided with the roadblock lifted. The unintended consequence taught lessons about self-governance and unseen risks from within, not just from outside.

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How Bangor drug court participants are getting help staying sober during the pandemic

Judy Harrison

June 16, 2020 |

Bangor Daily News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Bangor, Maine

Bangor drug court in Maine has turned to the use of Zoom to keep in contact with program participants during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although meeting via video call can disguise some physical symptoms of drug use, this new process has so far seen success with all participants still enrolled and one even graduating from the program.

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A ‘Pandemic's-worth of Triggers' Are Causing an Increase in Relapses Across the Country. Here's How Appalachians Are Coping.

Fernando Alfonso III

May 14, 2020 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kentucky

Stay-at-home orders and social distancing can worsen opioid addiction problems, and so some health providers, social media, and agencies in opioid-heavy Appalachia have devised ways to turn a threat into an opportunity. To counter isolation and denial of in-person counseling, forums on Reddit have thrived as virtual support groups. Video conferencing has proved a boon to telemedicine and counselors, extending the reach of services. Treatment providers and even Kentucky's prisons are distributing medications in novel ways to help people maintain sobriety and avoid overdoses.

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America's Other Epidemic: A new approach to fighting the opioid crisis as it quietly rages on

Beth Macy

May 01, 2020 |

The Atlantic |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Batesville, Indiana

To close a gap in drug treatment that often denies help to people who end up jailed, a hospital employee schooled in the strong evidence of effectiveness of medication-assisted treatment cobbled together a program using Medicaid funding and the cooperation of the courts and medical community. The program is rare in rural America. Though still small, the Courts Addiction & Drug Services program ended its first year with no overdoses, and only a handful of relapses, among its dozens of participants. In a region where MAT drugs are nearly impossible to get, the program is now working to expand its services.

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