"Now, despite attention and resources...researchers and health workers say #HIV continues to spread. In large part...because of restrictions state and local policymakers have placed on #SyringeExchange efforts." #harmreduction ow.ly/5kzE50WEShs

The hope is to prevent #CountyGovernments from launching lawsuits against #PharmacyBenefitManagers (#PBMs) in the context of #OpioidSettlements. “Right now, what we’re seeing is it pounding the table,” Christine Minhee said of Optum Rx. kffhealthnews.org/news/article/o…

“We’re seeing a lot of accidental #overdoses just because of the packaging,” said Dr. Stephen Sandelich, a pediatric emergency physician and assistant professor at Penn State. He said he had intubated several children who had ingested #cannabis products." nytimes.com/2025/08/10/hea…

Ain't nothin like a great baseball game. Thanks to Mayor Chris Cutshaw of #HamblenCounty and Mayor Mark Potts of #JeffersonCounty for coming out to Knoxville to enjoy a Knoxville Smokies home game!

Thank you, #TDMHSAS, for having us come by your sponsored Coalitions Meeting in Brentwood to talk about #opioidsettlements and how we help #CountyGovernments! For Karen Pershing, our implementation consultant, there were many familiar faces but also new friends.

The #kratom in Feel Free concerns experts. FDA deemed it an #opioid in 2018, prompting crackdowns. It's unregulated federally, but banned in five states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. ow.ly/n1z850WFh1V

Regardless of your stance on #SafeInjectionSites or #HarmReduction, this ruling states plainly that #nonprofits don't have to have religious origins in order to make #ReligiousFreedom arguments, which has interesting and important implications. reuters.com/legal/governme…

It was great to be back with the Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership to talk with local government leaders about how SMART helps county and city governments in overcoming the #overdose crisis in #Tennessee!

Florida has become the first state to ban #7-hydroxymitragynine, known as #7-OH, a byproduct of some #kratom products, due to its ability to act like an #opioid (researchers have called it "legal morphine"). ow.ly/I1Hg50WG2Xb

#HarmReduction, is reportedly "falling out of favor" across the US - mainly #SafeConsumptionSites (which were already rare) and #SyringeExchanges, which are known to reduce transmission of HIV and HepC. #FentanylTestStrips and #naloxone remain popular. ow.ly/gecl50WM1Cw

A little sensational, but still interesting. This worm suppresses neurons in the skin, reducing the feeling of pain. Could the molecules responsible be used safely as a new painkiller #AlternativeToOpioids? ow.ly/8Wkk50WG344

In case you missed it, the directors of #Cencora Inc, formerly #AmerisourceBergen, agreed to settle an additional $111 million in #opioidsettlements. Good news: more money to fight back against this problem. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Interesting opinion column on the complex topic of #Non-AbstinentRecovery - in other words, #recovery without total abstention from all substances (i.e., a person in recovery from #opioids, but who still occasionally drinks #alcohol): ow.ly/8a5E50WHHUU

#Bromazolam, a #benzodiazepine, has received emergency Schedule I status in #Kentucky due to rising #overdoses (it's already here, too). Meanwhile, #Tennessee has joined 20 states urging the DEA for federal scheduling. thehill.com/homenews/state…

Fascinating study into the relationship between #ACEs, #genetics, and severity of #withdrawal symptoms across different substances: addictionpolicy.org/post/new-study…

#OverdoseAwarenessDay with the Metro Drug Coalition was a beautiful time at Lakeshore Park with friends and fellow fighters in this battle against #overdose. Three hundred thirty-four butterflies were released in a moving ceremony to recognize those we lost in #KnoxCounty in 2024.

Teens are using #AI at wide scale for #MentalHealth concerns, but there is a dramatic lack of scientific study into this issue, and even with companies ramping up safety, "we are still deploying pseudo-therapists at an unprecedented scale." ow.ly/zJta50WLkrA

Across 99 studies, high concentrations of #THC (increasingly common in the market) were widely and significantly associated with #psychosis, #schizophrenia, #CannabisUseDisorder, and worse #anxiety and #depression. medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/sch…

An emotionally-moving account of a #fentanyl #overdose, a mother's search for justice, and a #CriminalJustice system facing criticism from advocates. Shows the complexity of the current drug crisis and connections to #MentalHealth. ow.ly/2irA50WPyan

It was a pleasure to attend the AGA monthly meeting and hear from the incomparable Sam Quinones and OAC Executive Director Mary Shelton and Program Director Nathan Payne on the latest information on the #OpioidSettlements and the TN #OpioidAbatementCouncil.