Category: Drug abuse

Up From Rock Bottom: Recovery From a National Overdose Epidemic

Commentary WILLS, Pennsylvania—Andrew Ayers is busy working on loading and unloading several machines at Guy Chemical—a massive, 30,000-square-foot industrial facility that sits tucked along the border of a tiny unincorporated town in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. People call Ayers one of the lucky ones for surviving his addiction to both heroin and methamphetamine, but he says…


From Grief to Action: Parents Raise Awareness of Dangers of ‘Fentapills’

PASADENA, Calif.—The lives of Ed and Mary Ternan changed on May 14, 2020, when their 22-year-old son, Charlie Ternan, was found dead in his college dorm at Santa Clara University. “I couldn’t believe what was happening, that he was gone, you know. And they said, ‘Oh, he died of pills,’ and I said, ‘Pills? What…


Mothers Oppose Alleged Open Drug Use in San Francisco’s New Linkage Center

SAN FRANCISCO—A small group of women stood together in front of San Francisco’s Tenderloin Linkage Center near the United Nations Plaza at Civic Center on Feb. 5 to express their opposition to the alleged open-air drug use taking place at the center. Holding a chain and posters with photos of young adults, the group, Mothers…


TikTok Serves up ‘Humorous’ and ‘Entertaining’ Cannabis Videos to Teens: Researchers

Young people are at risk of illicit drug use after being exposed to TikTok videos that portray cannabis-use as “humorous or entertaining” rather than risky, University of Queensland (UQ) researchers have said. A new study analysing 881 publicly available TikTok videos has found that 54 percent had a positive sentiment and were viewed more than…


Two Former Drug Addicts Aim to Bring Positive Change to San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO—On 730 Polk Street in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco sits a safe syringe access center, St. James Infirmary, where clean syringes and other drug use supplies are provided every Tuesday evening. Narcan—a lifesaving drug that reverses the effects of an overdose—is also distributed. The “harm reduction” model used in the city focuses…


Man Arrested in Deaths of Model, Architect to Remain Jailed on $3.4 Million Bail on Sex Charges

LOS ANGELES—A judge ordered on Dec. 23 a Beverly Hills man who was arrested in connection with last month’s deaths of a model and her friend and subsequently charged with sexually assaulting four women in alleged attacks dating back as far as 2010 to remain jailed in lieu of a $3.4 million bail. Superior Court Judge Victoria B….


California Bill That Would Allow Drug Injection Sites Raises Controversy

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—In a virtual international press conference on June 2, drug experts voiced their concerns about what will happen if a California bill to allow drug injection sites is passed. Senator Scott Wiener introduced California Senate Bill 57, also known as the Controlled Substances: Overdose Prevention Program, last December. If the bill is passed,…


Drug Overdoses Kill More Than Five Australians a Day: Report

More than five Australians died from drugs overdoses every day in 2019, says a new report by the National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC). According to the annual report released on Thursday, over 1,860 Australians lost their lives to drugs in 2019, with the majority of the deaths deemed unintentional. This marks Australia’s fifth year…