Latest news with #addictionTreatment
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Health minister says forced addictions treatment lacks evidence, feds won't intervene
Health Minister Marjorie Michel poses for a portrait on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, May 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel says there's no evidence that forcing people into addictions treatment works — but she won't weigh in on whether provinces should pursue involuntary treatment. Alberta has introduced sweeping legislation to allow family members, health care workers or police to apply to have someone ordered into treatment for addiction. B.C. and Ontario are pursuing policies that will expand involuntary treatment in the justice system. The proposed changes have been met with opposition from advocates who say governments should focus on expanding access to voluntary treatment instead. Michel says every Canadian has the right to get treatment for addiction but adds there's no scientific evidence suggesting that forcing people into treatment is the right approach. Michel says mental health is going to be one of her top priorities in her new role. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025. Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Ex-CEO of New Hampshire drug treatment centers charged in scheme to vandalize journalists' homes
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The founder and former CEO of New Hampshire's largest network of addiction treatment centers has been charged with orchestrating threats and vandalism targeting New Hampshire Public Radio journalists who published sexual misconduct allegations about him. Eric Spofford, 40, who lives in both Salem, New Hampshire, and Miami, was arrested Friday after being indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of stalking and one count of conspiracy to commit stalking. The man he is accused of paying to carry out the 2022 attacks and three others who were involved have already been convicted. According to prosecutors, the homes of an NHPR editor, reporter and the reporter's parents were hit with bricks, rocks and red spray paint in six incidents in April and May 2022. In one incident, a brick was thrown through reporter Lauren Chooljian's window in Massachusetts, and the phrase 'JUST THE BEGINNING!' was spray-painted on the front of her home. The attacks came after Choolijian published a story describing sexual assault and harassment allegations against Spofford, who founded Granite Recovery Centers in 2008 and sold the business in 2021. He denied the allegations and later sued the journalists, alleging defamation, but the case was dismissed. Court documents do not list an attorney for Spofford, who was scheduled to make an initial court appearance in Boston on Monday. A lawyer who had previously represented him did not respond to a phone message or email. Prosecutors say Spofford paid his friend, Eric Labarge, $20,000 to vandalize the homes and provided the addresses and specific instructions. Labarge is serving 46 months in prison; three other men who helped carry out the attacks were given sentences ranging from 21 to 30 months.
Jordan Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Jordan Times
2 new drug addiction treatment centres underway to expand services — PSD
By JT - May 22,2025 - Last updated at May 22,2025 Minister of Interior Mazen Farraya and Director of Public Security Directorate Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah on Thursday visit the addiction treatment centre of the Anti-Narcotics Department (Petra photo) AMMAN — Minister of Interior Mazen Farraya and Director of Public Security Directorate (PSD) Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah on Thursday visited the addiction treatment centre of the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND). The two officials were briefed on the centre's efforts in medical, therapeutic, and social services provided to all addicts seeking to receive treatment, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. During the visit, Farraya highlighted importance of following up on Royal directives to intensify efforts and enhance national cooperation to combat drugs, curb its spread, and encourage and assist addicts in overcoming their addiction crisis. The minister praised the PSD's "pioneering" and social role in establishing a specialised centre for addiction treatment, providing "advanced" addict-cantered therapeutic and psychological services and following up aftercare programmes for beneficiaries, who received free treatment at the PSD's expense. Farraya also valued the centre's systems, as well as the "strict confidentiality" that dominates treatment procedures and practices. The minister added that this policy encourages individuals and their families to "voluntarily" seek treatment without legal repercussions, which enhances their chances of recovery and reintegration into society. Maaytah stressed the PSD's continued field, awareness, and treatment efforts, as part of the national strategy to combat drugs. He noted that the PSD works in an integrated manner with various institutions to provide the necessary support to the centre to ensure continued services, in accordance with the "highest" international standards. Maaytah said that the PSD continues to fulfil its social and humanitarian responsibilities and "prioritises" establishment of two new addiction treatment centres in the northern and southern regions. He noted the PSD also plans to launch special treatment facilities within Jordan's correctional and rehabilitation centres, similar to Birin Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre. Touring the treatment centre and checking on its therapeutic, rehabilitation, and recreational facilities, the minister was briefed by the AND director on the facility's operating procedures, treatment and rehabilitation programmes and the stages to achieve recovery. The minister said the centre has already provided services to hundreds of cases and contributed to improving lives of many families.
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
US overdose deaths made largest one-year decline ever in 2024
There were 30,000 fewer US drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before – the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released on Wednesday. That's down 27% from 110,000 in 2023. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency's National Center for Health Statistics. All but two states saw declines last year, with Nevada and South Dakota experiencing small increases. Some of the biggest drops were in Ohio, West Virginia and other states that have been hard-hit in the nation's decades-long overdose epidemic. Experts say more research needs to be done to understand what drove the reduction, but they mention several possible factors. Among the most cited: Increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. Expanded addiction treatment. Shifts in how people use drugs. The growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money. The number of at-risk Americans is shrinking, after waves of deaths in older adults and a shift in teens and younger adults away from the drugs that cause most deaths. Still, US annual overdose deaths are higher than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement, the CDC noted that overdoses are still the leading cause of death for people 18-44 years old, 'underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress'. Some experts worry that the recent decline could be slowed or stopped by reductions in federal funding and the public health workforce, or a shift away from the strategies that seem to be working. 'Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal,' said Dr Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco. The provisional numbers are estimates of everyone who died of overdoses in the US, including noncitizens. That data is still being processed, and the final numbers can sometimes differ a bit. But it's clear that there was a huge drop last year. Experts note that there have been past moments when US overdose deaths seemed to have plateaued or even started to go down, only to rise again. That happened in 2018. But there are reasons to be optimistic. Naloxone has become more widely available, in part because of the introduction of over-the-counter versions that don't require prescriptions. Meanwhile, drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy chains and other businesses have settled lawsuits with state and local governments over the painkillers that were a main driver of overdose deaths in the past. The deals over the last decade or so have promised about $50bn over time, with most of it required to be used to fight addiction. Another settlement that would be among the largest, with members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma agreeing to pay up to $7bn, could be approved this year. The money, along with federal taxpayer funding, is going to a variety of programs, including supportive housing and harm reduction efforts, such as providing materials to test drugs for fentanyl, the biggest driver of overdoses now. But what each state will do with that money is currently at issue. 'States can either say, 'We won, we can walk away'' in the wake of the declines or they can use the lawsuit money on naloxone and other efforts, said Regina LaBelle, a former acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. She now heads an addiction and public policy program at Georgetown University. Donald Trump's administration views opioids as largely a law enforcement issue and as a reason to step up border security. That worries many public health leaders and advocates. 'We believe that taking a public health approach that seeks to support – not punish – people who use drugs is crucial to ending the overdose crisis,' said Dr Tamara Olt, an Illinois woman whose 16-year-old son died of a heroin overdose in 2012. She is now executive director of Broken No Moore, an advocacy organization focused on substance use disorder. Olt attributes recent declines to the growing availability of naloxone, work to make treatment available, and wider awareness of the problem. Kimberly Douglas, an Illinois woman whose 17-year-old son died of an overdose in 2023, credited the growing chorus of grieving mothers. 'Eventually people are going to start listening. Unfortunately, it's taken 10-plus years.'
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
U.S. overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen
Signs are displayed at a tent during a health event on June 26, 2021, in Charleston, (AP Photo/John Raby, File) There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. That's down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency's National Center for Health Statistics. All but two states saw declines last year, with Nevada and South Dakota seeing small increases. Some of the biggest drops were in Ohio, West Virginia and other states that have been hard-hit in the nation's decades-long overdose epidemic. Experts say more research needs to be done to understand what drove the reduction, but they mention several possible factors. Among the most cited: Increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. Expanded addiction treatment. Shifts in how people use drugs. The growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money. The number of at-risk Americans is shrinking, after waves of deaths in older adults and a shift in teens and younger adults away from the drugs that cause most deaths. Still, annual overdose deaths are higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the CDC noted that overdoses are still the leading cause of death for people 18-44 years old, 'underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.' Some experts worry that the recent decline could be slowed or stopped by reductions in federal funding and the public health workforce, or a shift away from the strategies that seem to be working. 'Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal,' said Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco. The provisional numbers are estimates of everyone who died of overdoses in the U.S., including noncitizens. That data is still being processed, and the final numbers can sometimes differ a bit. But it's clear that there was a huge drop last year. Experts note that there have been past moments when U.S. overdose deaths seemed to have plateaued or even started to go down, only to rise again. That happened in 2018. But there are reasons to be optimistic. Naloxone has become more widely available, in part because of the introduction of over-the-counter versions that don't require prescriptions. Meanwhile, drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy chains and other businesses have settled lawsuits with state and local governments over the painkillers that were a main driver of overdose deaths in the past. The deals over the last decade or so have promised about $50 billion over time, with most of it required to be used to fight addiction. Another settlement that would be among the largest, with members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma agreeing to pay up to US$7 billion, could be approved this year. The money, along with federal taxpayer funding, is going to a variety of programs, including supportive housing and harm reduction efforts, such as providing materials to test drugs for fentanyl, the biggest driver of overdoses now. But what each state will do with that money is currently at issue. 'States can either say, 'We won, we can walk away'' in the wake of the declines or they can use the lawsuit money on naloxone and other efforts, said Regina LaBelle, a former acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. She now heads an addiction and public policy program at Georgetown University. President Donald Trump's administration views opioids as largely a law enforcement issue and as a reason to step up border security. That worries many public health leaders and advocates. 'We believe that taking a public health approach that seeks to support — not punish — people who use drugs is crucial to ending the overdose crisis,' said Dr. Tamara Olt, an Illinois woman whose 16-year-old son died of a heroin overdose in 2012. She is now executive director of Broken No Moore, an advocacy organization focused on substance use disorder. Olt attributes recent declines to the growing availability of naloxone, work to make treatment available, and wider awareness of the problem. Kimberly Douglas, an Illinois woman whose 17-year-old son died of an overdose in 2023, credited the growing chorus of grieving mothers. 'Eventually people are going to start listening. Unfortunately, it's taken 10-plus years.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Mike Stobbe and Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press
