News from the States
- Pennsylvania releases opioid prescribing guidelines for geriatric pain, obstetrics & gynecology pain treatment
- Vermont releases health impact assessment on marijuana regulation
- CVS announces plans to offer over-the-counter naloxone in Ohio pharmacies
Around the Agencies
- SAMHSA announces Kimberly Johnson, PhD, as new Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
- CMS releases Informational Bulletin on prescription opioid medications
- CDC releases Vital Signs report on alcohol and pregnancy
In the News
- National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws updates reports on marijuana legislation
News from the States
Pennsylvania releases opioid prescribing guidelines for geriatric pain, obstetrics & gynecology pain treatment
Pennsylvania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, of which NASADAD member Gary Tennis is Secretary, released two new opioid prescribing guidelines last month—one for geriatric pain and another for obstetrics & gynecology pain. The guidelines seek to help healthcare providers determine when to prescribe opioid pain relievers for patients versus other treatment options. The geriatric pain guidelines assert that overreliance on opioid treatment often results in inadequate pain control and misuse potential, and that “therapy for chronic pain with long acting opioids should be avoided in older adults.” If opioid therapy is selected as a treatment plan, dosages should begin low and increase over time.
The obstetrics & gynecology pain treatment prescribing guidelines recommend that all pregnant and postpartum women receive a brief screening for substance use disorders prior to opioid treatment, and that healthcare providers consider the risk of pregnancy before prescribing opioid painkillers to women of childbearing age. The guidelines address opioid painkiller usage by women who are breastfeeding, recommending that only select opioids be used.
Access the Prescribing Guidelines for Geriatric Pain here.
Access the Prescribing Guidelines for Obstetrics and Gynecology Pain Treatment here.
Vermont releases health impact assessment on marijuana regulation
Last month Vermont’s Department of Health, of which NASADAD member Barbara Cimaglio is Deputy Commissioner, released its health impact assessment on marijuana regulation. In 2014, Vermont hired the RAND Corporation to investigate the financial and policy implications of regulating marijuana, and the report provides an overview of the potential impact of regulated and taxed marijuana on the prevalence of mental health disorders, traffic safety problems, substance use disorders, and academic outcomes. Vermont’s State legislature is currently considering a bill that would regulate marijuana for adult use.
Read the full report here.
CVS announces plans to offer over-the-counter naloxone in Ohio pharmacies
The pharmacy chain CVS announced plans to offer over-the-counter naloxone in its Ohio locations last week. Beginning in late March, all CVS Pharmacy locations in Ohio will make naloxone available over-the-counter without a prescription. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Michael Botticelli joined CVS in making the announcement, underlining the importance of expanding naloxone availability in reducing opioid overdoses.
Read more about this story here.
Around the Agencies
SAMHSA announces Kimberly Johnson, PhD, as new Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
Last week the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced a new Director for its Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Kimberly Johnson, PhD. A former NASADAD member for the State of Maine, Dr. Johnson has dedicated her career to developing and promoting effective and innovative substance use disorder treatment services, programs and practices. Currently, Dr. Johnson serves as co-director of the national office that coordinates the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC). In addition, she serves as director of operations of CHESS/Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) located at the University of Wisconsin. NASADAD looks forward to working with Dr. Johnson in her new role.
View SAMHSA’s press release about the appointment here.
CMS releases Informational Bulletin on prescription opioid medications
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Informational Bulletin discussing the health risks associated with prescription opioid medications last week. The bulletin describes the unique impact opioids have on Medicaid and Medicare populations, stating that “Medicaid beneficiaries are prescribed painkillers at twice the rate of non-Medicaid patients and are at three-to-six times the risk of prescription painkiller overdose.” CMS expresses that Medicaid and Medicare can help fight the opioid overdose epidemic through the adoption of smarter pain management strategies, including provider education, preferred drug lists, step therapy, prior authorization, and quantity limits. The bulletin recommends that State Medicaid programs work to improve access to naloxone by placing naloxone on Medicaid preferred drug lists and expanding community-based naloxone distribution programs.
View the full bulletin here.
CDC releases Vital Signs report on alcohol and pregnancy
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new Vital Signs report on alcohol and pregnancy last week. The report notes the complications that may arise as a result of using alcohol during pregnancy, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). The CDC recommends healthcare professionals provide alcohol use disorder screening and counseling to women of childbearing age, and that women planning to get pregnant stop drinking alcohol.
Read the full report here.
In the News
National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws updates reports on marijuana legislation
The National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws (NAMSDL) has updated its series of reports on medicinal, legal, and illegal marijuana legislation for 2016. The reports summarize ongoing and future efforts to regulate both the medical marijuana and legal marijuana industries at the State level. Two reports for 2016 are available: one summarizing follow-up legislation in States that have legalized the personal usage of marijuana (Alaska, Colorado, District of Columbia, and Oregon), and one summarizing legislation decriminalizing or lowering penalties for illicit, personal non-medical use. Reports on medicinal and personal marijuana legislation in 2016 are forthcoming.
Read the follow-up legislation report here.
Read the decriminalization report here.
Should you have any questions, or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Robert Morrison, Executive Director, (202) 293-0090 or Shalini Wickramatilake-Templeman, Public Policy Associate, at (202) 293-0090.