ADS CEO, Ron Rau, In Attendance at Historic Naloxone Bill Signing

Historic NC Legislation More than 1000 people die each year in North Carolina as a result of opioid overdose. On June 20th, Governor Pat McCrory signed legislation authorizing NC pharmacies to make available, without a prescription, the life-saving drug: naloxone. Naloxone has been used by first responders and other medical professionals across the country to
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Controversial Proposal to Allow Heroin In Ithaca, New York

CNN has posted a story about the mayor of Ithaca, New York proposing that the city host a program which would allow addicts to legally inject heroin at a designated safe place. The approach is a harm reduction strategy that has been reportedly tried in Europe, Australia, and Canada. Ithaca’s mayor, Svante Myrick, is quoted
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Heroin Help Cards in High Point

The High Point Police Department has been a steadfast supporter of addiction treatment and in assisting people with addiction problems find the help that they need. Their most recent effort is the use of Heroin Help Cards. WFMY News2 aired a segment highlighting this new initiative in which High Point Police Officers will hand out
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CNN Special Show On Prescription Addiction

CNN aired an informative special program on 5/11/2016, Prescription Addiction: Doctors Must Lead Us Out. The one hour special was hosted by Anderson Cooper and neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta. It specifically addressed how the current opioid epidemic in America has been driven by the over prescribing of opioid medication. Various doctors, recovering addicts, and others
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W-18 Reported To Be Dangerous Street Drug

The CBS-affiliate station out of Connecticut, WTVR, reported this week that a new street drug is being sold in the United States and Canada. It is called W-18 and is a synthetic opioid first developed in a Canadian lab in 1981. Emergency medical personnel have stated that a small amount of the drug is powerful
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$30 Million Proposed For NC Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders

The NC Council of Community Programs just published its bi-monthly newsletter. In it, Governor McCrory proposed that $30 million dollars be allocated for Substance Use Disorders, Mental Health, and Developmental Disabilities. Included in the allocation is a standing order which allows naloxone to be dispensed to anyone who requests it. Approximately 2500 lives were saved
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Lethal Overdose Map of the United States

Using CDC statistics from 2002 – 2014, TIME has produced a coded map of fatal overdoses in the United States. In the graphic below, red areas are geographical locations with the highest concentration of fatal overdoses per capita. The study has a disclaimer however which states that small counties are not represented as accurately on
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Funding For Drug Treatment Services (Opinion)

I began counseling in a North Carolina outpatient substance abuse treatment center in 1988. For the next 12 years, there seemed to be a sufficient level of state funding for detox, and inpatient and outpatient drug treatment services. Facilities were staffed well, clinical teams were typically well-trained, and substance abuse treatment programs were equipped to
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Touching Stories – Heroin Lives Here

North Carolina Health News published a thought-provoking article profiling the heroin problem in rural North Carolina. The piece is titled “Heroin Lives Here” and documents how heroin began to infiltrate NC communities leading to unexpected overdose deaths from an unprecedented influx of heroin from Mexico. Taylor Sisk is the article author. “Heroin Lives Here” focuses
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The Need For Drug Treatment

It is commonly known that resources for drug treatment and prevention have gradually waned over the past 15 years. As this reduction in resources progressed, so did America’s drug problem. Many professionals in law enforcement now state that the country cannot arrest its way out of this growing dilemma. Many of those who are addicted
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