Read more about the article Biden Allocates $30 Million To Harm Reduction Efforts

Biden Allocates $30 Million To Harm Reduction Efforts

The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced a federal grant focused on community-based harm reduction services, supporting groups that help provide Naloxone and other vital tools to people with substance use disorder.

The grant, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is the first of its kind. Conservatives have been skeptical of the usefulness of harm reduction efforts. The funds, meant to help prevent overdoses and needle-spread diseases, have come under scrutiny almost as soon as they were announced. There is still much stigma and misunderstanding surrounding addiction and recovery.

What Is Harm Reduction?

Typically, harm reduction efforts are focused on the deadliest drugs, such as fentanyl and heroin. When targeting opioid users, the focus is on preventing death and disease. Some efforts, like needle exchange programs, have been around for ages. Unfortunately, many …

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Read more about the article FDA Targets Illegal Website Sales of Tramadol
website selling tramadol

FDA Targets Illegal Website Sales of Tramadol

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The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to website operators for the illegal sales of the opioid Tramadol. According to the letters sent to operators, some of the drugs were mislabeled, while others were not approved for sale in the United States. All of the websites are illicit and selling opioids without prescriptions.

FDA Cracking Down 0n Tramadol

While it may seem to be a minor way censure to have an FDA letter sent to a website, it’s the first action the agency typically takes. The FDA’s letter also clearly states that they are taking action, which means the letter is the first step.

The FDA’s primary job is to make sure that our foods and drugs stay safe. They do not have the authority to arrest website operators. However, they often bring the DEA and other …

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New U.S. Drug Strategy Targets Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic

This week the National Drug Control Policy branch of the White House announced a new national drug policy that targets the current epidemic of prescription drug abuse.  It is the first time the federal government has announced a comprehensive strategy for dealing with the non-medical use of prescription painkillers.  According to Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh, “Abuse of prescription drugs, especially opioids, represents an alarming public health crisis.”

Drug czar Gil Kerlikowske unveiled the new plan, which aims to reduce the non-medical use of powerful opioid painkillers like oxycodone by 15 percent over the next 5 years.  Kerlikowske’s press release described the magnitude of the prescription drug problem as exceeding the black tar heroin and crack cocaine epidemics of the 1970s and 1980s.

The plan will focus on four main areas: education for physicians, prescription tracking, drug disposal and …

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