Public Health

The NFL Players' Association will push for a less punitive approach to dealing with players who use marijuana, according to The Washington Post.

The city of Welch, W.Va., is suing five organizations in the pharmaceutical supply chain for contributing to high rates of opioid drug abuse in the 2,200-population town, according to the West Virginia Record. Welch is one of several cities across…

Chattanooga-based BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is increasing efforts to address opioid abuse in the state, as Tennessee ranks second nationally in terms of the number of opioid prescriptions issued, according to a Times Free Press report.

Emergency medical services workers in Louisville, Ky., fielded two drug overdose calls per hour over a 32 hour timespan beginning early Feb. 9, according to The New York Times.

A new anti-opioid advertising campaign in Minnesota targets families and friends of potential opioid abusers and aims to bring awareness to the increasing epidemic of drug abuse, according to MPR News.

As President Trump and congressional Republicans continue efforts to dismantle the ACA, many are looking at how this could affect healthcare, including addiction treatment.

The world may be poised for a drug abuse pandemic of global proportions, suggests Robert Gebelhoff in an op-ed for The Washington Post.

Fort Myers, Fla.-based Gulf Coast Medical Center is urging patients to use other healthcare facilities in the region as there is severe overcrowding in its emergency room, according to a News-Press report.

The nation's first Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge is calling on the federal government to improve screening for the international shipment of synthetic opioids via the United States Postal Service, according to Trib Live.

New Orleans hospitals are working to treat the more than 31 people injured after five confirmed tornadoes caused extensive damage in east Louisiana and Mississippi Tuesday, according to an ABC News report.