ACCORDING TO THE old adage, a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged. That may not be exactly what’s happening with the shift in the city’s approach to the troubled area around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Boulevard in Boston. But it nonetheless marked a striking turn to hear the city’s progressive mayor, Michelle Wu, […]
Drug Addiction
Posted inDrug Addiction
Somerville makes push for mobile drug consumption site
SOMERVILLE is making strides toward being the first city or town in Massachusetts to open a supervised drug consumption site, an initiative that advocates say has shown promise internationally in combating overdoses. “If we have this tool that works, then nobody needs to die,” said Sarah Evans, the division director of drug policy at the […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Healey administration grapples with record high opioid deaths
THE STATE WAS already swimming upstream against the opioid epidemic, but new numbers showing record high opioid-related overdose deaths brought an undercurrent of despair to Healey administration discussion of how to stem the toll. There were 2,357 confirmed and estimated fatal opioid-related overdoses in Massachusetts last year, or 33.5 deaths per 100,000 residents, according to […]
Posted inOpinion
Let’s rethink the use of Joint Base Cape Cod
THE AIR FORCE’S suspension of intelligence activity performed at Joint Base Cape Cod eliminates the primary service mission of the base. The leak of sensitive intelligence from a service member is a national security disaster that has raised many questions that can only be answered within and by the Department of Defense. It does, however, […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Opioid overdose deaths leveling off, but at high level
AFTER A SHARP SPIKE in opioid-related overdose deaths during the COVID pandemic, the numbers appear to be leveling off this year, but they still remain higher than before COVID hit, according to new data from the Department of Public Health. Gov. Charlie Baker, in a statement, noted that since taking office in 2015, he has […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Innovative court program helps people navigate addiction services
CAPE COD DEFENSE attorney Susan Wenzel had a client with mental health and substance use issues who needed help handling both problems and had no health insurance. His criminal case was still in progress, so he had no access to court-ordered therapy. Wenzel called Rick Palingo, a recovery support navigator who works in Barnstable area […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Opioid overdose deaths up by 9 percent last year
THE NUMBER OF OPIOID overdose deaths in Massachusetts rose by 9 percent in 2021, a worrying number in a state that had started seeing some success in addressing the opioid epidemic when COVID-19 hit and reversed that progress. “These are sobering and devastating statistics,” said Deirdre Calvert, director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Meth use poses rising threat in Massachusetts
THE SCOURGE of opioid addiction has made headlines for years, as state policymakers aim to reduce the epidemic of overdose deaths. Less noticed – but still highly dangerous – is the growing use of stimulant drugs, like cocaine and methamphetamines. “We’ve been seeing that stimulant use, especially stimulant involvement in overdose deaths, has increased dramatically […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Child Advocate says ‘system failed’ Harmony Montgomery
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES and the court system valued the rights of Harmony Montgomery’s parents more than Harmony’s wellbeing, according to a damning 101-page report issued Wednesday by the state Child Advocate Maria Mossaides. Harmony, a young girl who last lived with her father in New Hampshire, has been missing since 2019. Her […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
For mothers with history of opioid use, a non-judgmental lifeline
ELIZABETH MURDZIA, who stopped using heroin during pregnancy with the help of methadone, remembers rocking her newborn as he underwent methadone withdrawal at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Murdzia, 29, was terrified he would be taken from her because in Massachusetts, opioid use during pregnancy triggers a child welfare investigation. One nurse told her – […]