Earlier this year, the Ohio governor Mike DeWine announced his plan to raise the age of legal tobacco purchase to 21. This action is, in large part, a response to the rise of teen vaping that has been grabbing national headlines.  Ohio is not alone. Concerns about the increase of smoking and vaping among young … Read More

A community member in Missouri suggests that public schools should keep Narcan on school premises in the event of an opioid overdose. Eric Moffitt is a citizen of Springfield, Missouri who describes himself as being in long-term recovery for opioid addiction. Narcan is a nasal spray that can be administered to someone who has overdosed … Read More

Opioid addiction is a challenging condition that impacts people across the United States. Opioid addiction in Ohio may have been enhanced by the influx of large numbers of opioid pills. Some state officials who are addressing Ohio opioid addiction have laid some blame on Cardinal Health, a pharmaceutical company that distributed nearly a billion opioid … Read More

Airlines are among the most recent American institutions to be impacted by the opioid epidemic more significantly than ever before, triggering significant changes. Delta recently announced plans to carry Narcan on flights after a passenger died of an opiate overdose while in transit. Following the tragedy, most were left wondering if a Narcan dose could … Read More

The drug epidemic in the United States is not contained to any one substance. Although the opioid epidemic consumes much of the national and international spotlight today, other drugs remain issues as well. One example of such a drug is methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth or just meth. In the 1990s, meth was one … Read More

In Ohio, some are calling for stricter penalties for people who sell drugs to pregnant women. According to Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones, 80% of women in the county jail are on drugs and are attempting to stop using them. In Butler County alone, there were two women with drug addictions who gave birth in … Read More

Health care providers at Hamilton County Jail in Ohio are working to help inmates stop using drugs through the administration of certain medications. A recent story in U.S. News & World Report highlighted the efforts of Hamilton County staff members to help people currently incarcerated stop using opioids and prevent future relapse. Fifty-two inmates in … Read More

Illinois recently became the 11th state in the United States to legalize recreational marijuana sales and use. In the state, advocates for cannabis have been working to ensure social justice measures were included in the legislation. Illinois, with its more than 12 million residents, is the second-most populous state to legalize recreational cannabis use, only … Read More

As of June 1, 2019, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation will not fund the prescription medication OxyContin, and its generic equivalent oxycodone, for injured workers. Workers who are part of this organization will have no compensation for this drug starting on December 31, 2019. Ohio Governor Mark DeWine explicitly cited the nationwide opioid drug … Read More

Public health officials in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, are encouraging people to pick up free test strips to test their recreational drugs for the presence of fentanyl. The easy-to-use test strips are available at healthcare centers throughout the county. Fentanyl is a deadly opioid drug that is 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl is sometimes … Read More