INDUSTRIAL OPIOID DISASTER – A blizzard of prescriptions’: Documents reveal new details about Purdue’s marketing of OxyContin
Stat News by Andrew Joseph reports – When Purdue Pharma started selling its prescription opioid painkiller OxyContin in 1996, Dr. Richard Sackler asked people gathered for the launch party to envision natural disasters like an earthquake, a hurricane, or a blizzard. The debut of OxyContin, said Sackler — a member of the family that started and controls the company and then a company executive — “will be followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition.” Five years later, as questions were raised about the risk of addiction and overdoses that came with taking OxyContin and opioid medications, Sackler…
Coast Guard Cutter Campbell returns to homeport following counter narcotics patrol
BOSTON, MA: The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Campbell returned to Kittery, Maine on Tuesday following a three-month counter narcotics patrol in the eastern Pacific Ocean. During the patrol, the crew of the Campbell seized approximately 5,300 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated value of $159 million and detained six suspected smugglers. Crew from Coast Guard Cutter Campbell stop a suspected drug smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean during a patrol in October, 2018. During the 90-day patrol, Campbell seized approximately 5,300 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated value of $159 million. ( Coast Guard photo) (Photo edited for security)…
Pharmacist and pharmacy technician sentenced to prison for diverting hundreds of thousands of opioids
PHOENIX, AZ: by ICE Office of Public Affairs – Pharmacist Vilawoe Aku Boadu, 39, of Peoria, Ariz., was sentenced Thursday by District Judge Steven P. Logan to 120 months in prison. Zinka Sisic, 30, of Phoenix, who worked as a Pharmacy Technician for Boadu, was previously sentenced to 48 months in prison. Boadu and Sisic were both convicted of conspiring to distribute controlled substances and conspiring to launder money involved in a drug trafficking offense. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), DEA, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Phoenix Police Department, the Glendale Police…
420 Day State of NJ Capital and Opioid Use Disorder
Trenton, NJ: by - Activists hold a 420 Day march and rally at the New Jersey Statehouse. WAtCh exclusive video.
Federal Resources for Rural Communities to Help Address Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Misuse
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2018 – White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Deputy Director Jim Carroll and Department of Agriculture Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today unveiled a listing of Federal programs that can be used to build resilient communities and address opioid misuse in rural communities. The Rural Resource Guide to Help Communities Address Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Misuse (PDF, MB) is a first-of-its-kind, one-stop-shop for rural leaders looking for Federal funding and partnership opportunities. “Many rural communities in America have been especially hard hit by the opioid crisis,” said Deputy Director Carroll. “ONDCP…
ONDCP Salutes President Trump’s Signing of Historic Opioids Package
Washington, DC: - Today, President Trump signed into law historic legislation – the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act – to strengthen our efforts to combat the opioid crisis. “From day one of this Administration, President Trump has called upon a whole of government approach to combat our addiction crisis,” said Deputy Director James Carroll of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). “That call has been manifested into today’s bill signing. This historic package makes meaningful reforms to keep illicit drugs out of our communities, better monitor prescribing, prevent addiction and help those suffering with a…