healthcare

Why Are Methadone Patients Still Being Punished for Marijuana Use?

Marijuana, which is now legal for medical use in 33 states and counting, can help treat pain—something which opioids also…

March 31, 2019

Beyond Purdue: Our Deadly Unlearned Lessons From the Overdose Crisis

There is a profound moment in the film And The Band Played On, about the early days of the US…

March 27, 2019

Drug Laws Undermine Ethics for Social Workers in Child Welfare

As a 20-year-old undergraduate student who had limited familiarity with substance use beyond alcohol, the most formative aspect of my…

March 21, 2019

Rethinking Ketamine in Light of a Newly Approved Depression Treatment

On March 5, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the prescription treatment Spravato (esketamine), an intranasal spray medicine…

March 19, 2019

Wound Care and Stigma: Healthcare Must Do Better for People Who Inject

There is a common misconception that people who inject drugs (PWID) don’t care about their health. However, their widespread participation…

March 14, 2019

How a Paraplegic Drug User Became a Victim of Involuntary Commitment

Barely a day passes on my beat without my meeting someone with a harrowing story about the impact of zero-tolerance…

February 27, 2019

The Tricky Connection Between MAT and Low Sex Drive

Imagine going through opioid use disorder treatment with methadone or buprenorphine, perhaps getting a job and family and everything in your life back—except for one…

February 26, 2019

Bernie Is Back—With a Commitment to Progressive Drug Policies

Bernie Sanders, a leading leftist in the crowded cohort of Democratic presidential hopefuls for 2020, has reiterated his commitment to…

February 25, 2019

How I Started South Carolina’s Only Formal Syringe Exchange

When I was 19, living in New Jersey and injecting drugs, I found out that I had hepatitis C. All…

February 19, 2019

Why Philly’s Smoking Ban at Addiction Treatment Centers Will Be Harmful

Late last year, public health officials in Philadelphia—which ranks second among large cities hit hardest by the US overdose and…

February 12, 2019