I've been wanting to write about this for a couple of months now, but with all the addiction in the news I just haven't gotten around to it. The Wire, the recently-ended HBO series, is one of the best shows ever to make it on TV (in my humble opinion). If you haven't watched it, you can rent it or buy it on Amazon here. The show is infinitely rewatchable, so definitely a good investment.
David Simon, the creator of the show, worked for the Baltimore Sun (newspaper politics and policies are featured in-depth in the show's final season) for a time before writing a couple of books and eventually Homicide: Life on the Street and The Wire. There's a great article talking about Simon's background in The Atlantic; I'll touch on some of the points there, but the article is definitely worth a read. What's great about the show is the humanizing aspect- that both cops and drug dealers have their flaws-- and their good parts. I haven't ever felt a lot of empathy for drug dealers, at least until I saw The Wire.
Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics, talks quite a bit about the dichotomy of drug dealing, and why many of the dealers on the street stay poor. Since drug dealing is like a pyramid scheme (those on top make a ton of money, but those on the low outposts can barely make as much as working at a McDonald's), it's difficult to break the poverty cycle in a drug-centered community. The Wire covers all of this throughout their various seasons, portraying all sides of the drug trade.
I love this show for a variety of reasons- a) it shows the ins and outs of battling drugs on the ground level from a police perspective; b) it talks directly about the effects of drug use and dealing on individual families; c) it shows an honest portrayal of people trying to make it out of the ghetto via the drug trade; d) the character Bugs is a great example of an addict trying to get well; and e) takes risks in dealing with the relationship of drugs and the police force. Many different opinions are expressed here, and David Simon's voice is a clear bell against the war.
If you want an inside scoop on the war on drugs, definitely check out The Wire- my favorite show ever. Never got great ratings, so I'll excuse you if you have yet to see it. But make sure you do.
Here's a great clip:
Oh and a quick note on the ongoing healthcare debate (I'll write a separate blog on this on a later date), we here at Addiction Tomorrow are in favor of an optional government sponsored healthcare plan- after all, having an option is better than not having one, and will be beneficial for the greater good. We need to make sure the private sector will be held accountable to standards of practice, but not snuffed out by a government healthcare plan. Ok, I'm off my soapbox for the day.
Here's something funny.
As always, follow me on Twitter and connect with me on LinkedIn. Become a fan of the blog on Facebook. And see you this week.
Showing posts with label ban on drugs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ban on drugs. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Pain Relievers- Too Dangerous?
A federal advisory panel finalized a close vote on Tuesday to recommend a ban on Percocet and Vicodin, two of the most popular prescription painkillers in the world, because of their effects on the liver. Since people who take these pain medications for long periods of time often need a stronger dose, the odds of liver damage increase drastically. Acetaminophen, a chief ingredient in these medications (and also in Tylenol and Excedrin), can cause liver damage when taken at high doses for a long period of time.
Vicodin (and its generic equivalent) is prescribed over 100 million times a year in the US alone- so this is a huge business decision. In a statement, Johnson & Johnson, Tylenol’s maker, said it “strongly disagrees” with the proposed restrictions on acetaminophen, adding that they would be likely to “lead to more serious adverse events as consumers shift to other over-the-counter products,” like Advil and aspirin.
However, without abuse or overmedicating, the odds of actual overdose or severe liver damage goes down. “If you keep track of what you’re taking, none of this is an issue for you,” Dr. Jan Engle, a panel member and head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Illinois in Chicago, said in an interview after the meeting.
We need to be on the lookout for the long term affects of misusing pain management drugs. With the new recommendations on banning pain meds such as Vicodin and Percocet, people may be looking for something stronger, or at least something different. SAMHSA has publish some disturbing trends around prescription drug abuse:
* Over the past decade-and-a-half, the number of teen and young adult (ages 12 to 25) new abusers of prescription painkillers such as oxycodone (OxyContin) or hydrocodone (Vicodin) has grown five-fold (from 400,000 in the mid-eighties to 2 million in 2000).
* New misusers of tranquilizers such as diazepam (Valium) or alprazolam (Xanax, called "zanies" by youth)-medicine normally used to treat anxiety or tension-went up nearly 50 percent in one year (700,000 in 1999 to 1 million in 2000).
* More than 17 percent of adults over 60, wittingly or not, abuse prescription drugs.
* In 2000, more than 19 million prescriptions for ADHD drugs were filled, a 72 percent increase since 1995. An estimated 3 to 5 percent of school-age children have ADHD. A study of students in Wisconsin and Minnesota showed 34 percent of ADHD youth age 11 to 18 report being approached to sell or trade their medicines, such as Ritalin.
* Among 12- to 17-year-olds, girls are more likely than boys to use psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically.
And the Office of National Drug Control Policy has some good facts on prescription abuse and awareness as well. Check that out here.
As we hear more and more about Michael Jackson and his prescription drug abuse, the need for awareness and prevention continues to rise. The medicine cabinet can be just as dangerous as the guy on the street corner. Doctors can be drug dealers too.
Here's video about the rise of prescription drug abuse:
And here's another one:
And here's something funny.
As always, connect with me on LinkedIn and follow me on Twitter. Become a fan of the blog on Facebook. And see you this week.
Vicodin (and its generic equivalent) is prescribed over 100 million times a year in the US alone- so this is a huge business decision. In a statement, Johnson & Johnson, Tylenol’s maker, said it “strongly disagrees” with the proposed restrictions on acetaminophen, adding that they would be likely to “lead to more serious adverse events as consumers shift to other over-the-counter products,” like Advil and aspirin.
However, without abuse or overmedicating, the odds of actual overdose or severe liver damage goes down. “If you keep track of what you’re taking, none of this is an issue for you,” Dr. Jan Engle, a panel member and head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Illinois in Chicago, said in an interview after the meeting.
We need to be on the lookout for the long term affects of misusing pain management drugs. With the new recommendations on banning pain meds such as Vicodin and Percocet, people may be looking for something stronger, or at least something different. SAMHSA has publish some disturbing trends around prescription drug abuse:
* Over the past decade-and-a-half, the number of teen and young adult (ages 12 to 25) new abusers of prescription painkillers such as oxycodone (OxyContin) or hydrocodone (Vicodin) has grown five-fold (from 400,000 in the mid-eighties to 2 million in 2000).
* New misusers of tranquilizers such as diazepam (Valium) or alprazolam (Xanax, called "zanies" by youth)-medicine normally used to treat anxiety or tension-went up nearly 50 percent in one year (700,000 in 1999 to 1 million in 2000).
* More than 17 percent of adults over 60, wittingly or not, abuse prescription drugs.
* In 2000, more than 19 million prescriptions for ADHD drugs were filled, a 72 percent increase since 1995. An estimated 3 to 5 percent of school-age children have ADHD. A study of students in Wisconsin and Minnesota showed 34 percent of ADHD youth age 11 to 18 report being approached to sell or trade their medicines, such as Ritalin.
* Among 12- to 17-year-olds, girls are more likely than boys to use psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically.
And the Office of National Drug Control Policy has some good facts on prescription abuse and awareness as well. Check that out here.
As we hear more and more about Michael Jackson and his prescription drug abuse, the need for awareness and prevention continues to rise. The medicine cabinet can be just as dangerous as the guy on the street corner. Doctors can be drug dealers too.
Here's video about the rise of prescription drug abuse:
And here's another one:
And here's something funny.
As always, connect with me on LinkedIn and follow me on Twitter. Become a fan of the blog on Facebook. And see you this week.
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