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SAMHSA Prescription Drug Abuse Weekly Update
WEEKLY
UPDATE
Issue 151  |  December 3, 2015
The Prevention of Prescription Drug Abuse in the Workplace (PAW) TA Center addresses prescription drug abuse—a growing public health problem with increasing burdens on workers, workplaces, and our economy. To subscribe colleagues, family members, or friends to this listserv sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), please click here or send their e-mail addresses to paw@dsgonline.com.
Index
Featured
Journal Articles and Reports
Professional Education and Policy Debate
National
Marijuana
International
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic News
South News
Midwest News
West News
Grant Awards
Grant Announcements
Take-Back Events and Drop Boxes
Upcoming Conferences and Workshops

Featured

Survey: Many Americans Know Someone Who Abused Prescription Painkillers
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
November 24, 2015

Fifty-seven percent of U.S. adults have a personal connection to prescription pain reliever misuse, according to a recent nationally representative telephone survey (n = 1,352). White people were more likely than black and Hispanic people to have a personal connection (63 percent versus 44 percent and 37 percent, respectively). Sixteen percent knew someone who died from a prescription pain reliever overdose, including 9 percent who described that person as a close friend or family member. In addition, 27 percent said they or a family member or close friend had been addicted to pain relievers. Sixty-three percent said they support Good Samaritan laws that bar prosecution of people for any drug-related crime if they call for emergency medical help for their own drug overdose or that of someone else. Half said reducing prescription pain reliever and heroin abuse should be a top priority for their state governors and legislatures. Across all 50 states, reducing pain reliever and heroin misuse ranked in the middle of the public’s priorities for their governors and legislatures.

Read more:
http://kff.org/health-reform/press-release/most-americans-report-a-personal-connection-to-those-who-have-abused-prescription-painkillers-whites-more-likely-to-be-affected-than-blacks-or-hispanics
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/11/24/why-painkiller-addiction-and-abuse-are-rising-health-care-priorities

S. Alunni–Kinkle. 2015. “Identifying Substance Use Disorder in Nursing.” Nursing Management 46(12):53–54, doi:10.1097/01.NUMA.0000473512.38679.Ca.

The author, chief nursing director of the Intervention Project for Nurses in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., discusses how nurses can take action to support colleagues with a substance use disorder and ensure better outcomes for patients and nurses. She said nurses have easier access to medication because of the nature of their job. They continue to work despite a substance use disorder because of the enabling behavior of their peers. Nurses have an ethical and legal obligation to act. State mandatory reporting laws hold colleagues responsible for harm to patients if they fail to report a coworker they suspect has a substance use disorder. Nurse leaders should work to implement non-punitive substance use disorder reporting policies and procedures. Being aware of signs and symptoms of substance use disorders can raise a red flag. Then, steps can be taken to document and intervene to address the issue.

Read more:
http://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/Fulltext/2015/12000
Identifying_substance_use_disorder_in_nursing.12.aspx

Journal Articles and Reports

R.M. Burns, R. Liccardo Pacula, S. Bauhoff, A.J. Gordon, H. Hendrikson, D. L. Leslie, and B.D. Stein. 2015. “Policies Related to Opioid Agonist Therapy for Opioid Use Disorders: The Evolution of State Policies from 2004 to 2013.” Substance Abuse, doi:10.1080/08897077.2015.1080208.

Among 45 state Medicaid agencies in 2013 with information available on buprenorphine and methadone coverage, only five had Medicaid policies that excluded all coverage, while 32 covered both therapies. Coverage increased over time.

Read more:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08897077.2015.1080208
http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP50960.html

S.L. Calcaterra, T.E. Yamashita, S. Min, A. Keniston, J.W. Frank, and I.A. Binswanger. 2015. “Opioid Prescribing at Hospital Discharge Contributes to Chronic Opioid Use.” Journal of General Internal Medicine, doi:10.1007/s11606-015-3539-4.

In 2011, a quarter of 6,689 patients (who had not filled an opioid prescription at an affiliated pharmacy in the year preceding their discharge from a Denver safety-net hospital) filled opioid prescriptions within 72 hours of discharge. Opioid recipients were more likely than non-recipients to have surgery during their hospitalization (65 percent versus 18 percent) or have diagnoses of neoplasm (6 percent versus 4 percent), acute pain (3 percent versus 1 percent), or chronic pain at admission (12 percent versus 3 percent). They were less likely to have alcohol use disorders (16 percent versus 21 percent) and mental health disorders (24 percent versus 31 percent). Chronic opioid use 1 year post discharge was more common among patients prescribed opioids (4 percent versus 1 percent).

Read more:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-015-3539-4

Q.M. Epstein–Ngo, S.E. McCabe, P.T. Veliz, S.A. Stoddard, E.A. Austic, and C.J. Boyd. 2015. “Diversion of ADHD Stimulants and Victimization Among Adolescents.” Journal of Pediatric Psychology, doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsv105.

Adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) reported more crime victimization than other youth, regardless of whether they were prescribed stimulant medication, according to a longitudinal study of 4,965 Michigan adolescents. The youth were recruited in ninth grade from five public schools in the 2009–10 school year and tracked through the 2013–14 school year. Adolescents with ADHD who diverted their prescribed stimulants were at greatest risk of frequent victimization, followed by those who were approached to divert but refused.

Read more:
http://jpepsy.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/11/19/jpepsy.jsv105.short?rss=1

M.V. Hasselt, V. Keyes, J. Bray, and T. Miller. 2015. “Prescription Drug Abuse and Workplace Absenteeism: Evidence from the 2008–2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health 30(4):379–92, doi:10.1080/15555240.2015.1047499.

Workers who misused prescription drugs were about 7 percentage points likelier to report past-month absenteeism, averaging 0.25 more days absent than their co-workers, according to multivariate analysis of data from the 2008–12 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The differences held across drug types.

Read more:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15555240.2015.1047499

D. Horyniaka, P.A. Agius, L. Degenhardt, S. Reddel, P. Higgs, C. Aitken, M. Stoové, and P. Dietze. 2015. “Patterns of, and Factors Associated with, Illicit Pharmaceutical Opioid Analgesic Use in a Prospective Cohort of People Who Inject Drugs in Melbourne, Australia.” Substance Use and Misuse, doi:10.3109/10826084.2015.1027928.

Nearly three fifths (59 percent) of 666 Australian adults ages 18–40 who often injected drugs reported lifetime illicit use of pharmaceutical opioids, and 20 percent reported past-month use, predominantly through injecting, according to a prospective cohort study that recruited participants in 2008–10. Among pharmaceutical injectors with at least one follow-up interview through 2013, 75 percent transitioned to consistent non-use, 10 percent reported consistent use, and 14 percent reported fluctuating use. Those who kept using were more likely than those who stopped to have a recent arrest (odds ratio = 1.4).

Read more:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10826084.2015.1027928

J. Klimas, M. Egan, H. Tobin, N. Coleman, and G. Bury. 2015. “Development and Process Evaluation of an Educational Intervention for Overdose Prevention and Naloxone Distribution by General Practice Trainees.” BMC Medical Education 15:206, doi:10.1186/s12909-015-0487-y.

Twenty-three general practice medical students in Ireland increased their knowledge of prescription opioid overdose risks and actions to take in response after completing a 1-hour postgraduate training. Training by simulation was more effective than video instruction.

Read more:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/15/206

J.J. Palamar, J.A. Shearston, E.W. Dawson, P. Mateu–Gelabert, and D.C. Ompad. 2015. “Nonmedical Opioid Use and Heroin Use in a Nationally Representative Sample of US High School Seniors.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence, doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.11.005.

More than one tenth (12.4 percent) of students reported lifetime nonmedical opioid use, and 1.2 percent reported lifetime heroin use, according to data from the 2009–13 Monitoring the Future study. More than three fourths (77.3 percent) of heroin users reported lifetime nonmedical opioid use. Almost a quarter (23.2 percent) of students who reported using opioids at least 40 times had also tried heroin. Black and Hispanic students were less likely than white students to report nonmedical opioid or heroin use, but they were more likely to report heroin use without nonmedical opioid use.

Read more:
http://www.drugandalcoholdependence.com/article/S0376-8716(15)01747-0/abstract

D.M. Qato, B.S. Manzoor, and T.A. Lee. 2015. “Drug–Alcohol Interactions in Older U.S. Adults.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 63(11):2324–31, doi:10.1111/jgs.13787.

Twenty percent of community-dwelling older adults were at risk for a drug–alcohol interaction because they were regular drinkers and concurrently using alcohol-interacting medications, according to a nationally representative survey (n = 2,975). More than 90 percent of these possible interactions were of moderate or major severity, mostly involving antidepressants or analgesics. Older adult men with multiple chronic conditions had the highest prevalence of potential drug–alcohol interactions.

Read more:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.13787/abstract

K.J. Zullig, A.L. Divin, R.M. Weiler, J.D. Haddox, and L.N. Pealer. 2015. “Adolescent Nonmedical Use of Prescription Pain Relievers, Stimulants, and Depressants, and Suicide Risk.” Substance Use and Misuse, doi:10.3109/10826084.2015.1027931.

Twenty-one percent of students reported lifetime nonmedical use of prescription drugs, according to a survey of 4,148 students in five geographically spread-out public high schools. In multivariate analysis, nonmedical users were 1.7–2.3 times more likely to report suicidal ideation but no more likely to report a suicide attempt. Nonmedical use of pain relievers, stimulants, and depressants each was associated with greater odds of suicidal ideation for both male and female students. Odds of suicide attempts were elevated for nonmedical users of antidepressants and female nonmedical users of stimulants.

Read more:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10826084.2015.1027931

Professional Education and Policy Debate

R.M. Mayall. 2015. “Substance Abuse in Anaesthetists.” British Journal of Anaesthesia, doi:10.1093/bjaed/mkv054.

Raising awareness and improving education about addiction have not resulted in a decrease in anesthetist mortality or relapse rates. The literature tends to highlight the opioid-dependent trainee, but all levels of anesthetists can misuse these drugs. Substance use disorder is a disease, not a crime, and should be treated as such. Postponing intervention until evidence of substance abuse is obtained ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ increases the risk of a tragic outcome. Each anesthetic department should nominate a consultant responsible for members’ welfare.

Read more:
http://bjaed.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/11/19/bjaed.mkv054.abstract

National

Pilot Program Seeks to Improve Workers’ Compensation Patient Outcomes
PRNewswire
November 24, 2015

Ameritox, a provider of pain medication monitoring, and its service PRIUM, a chronic pain medical management company that specializes in workers’ compensation, have launched a pilot program with Maryland-based Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company to identify injured workers who are prescribed significantly high dosages of opioids and engage their doctors to help create better patient outcomes. The pilot is in response to the troubling rate of opioid misuse and diversion.

Read more:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ameritox-service-prium-announces-pilot-program-with-chesapeake-employers-insurance-company-to-improve-patient-outcomes-for-workers-compensation-patients-300184001.html

Tonight, Have ‘The Talk’ . . . About Opioids
Deborah Hersman, National Safety Council
November 19, 2015

Deborah Hersman, president of the National Safety Council, encourages families to start an ongoing dialogue about drug misuse. Such a conversation can begin informally—for example, at dinner. Opioid pain relievers are the legal equivalent of heroin, and sharing them is a felony. They are not necessarily the best way to treat acute pain. Hersman reminds users to store medications in a locked cabinet. She also reminds people that opioid pain relievers may hinder one’s ability to drive or perform responsibilities at work.

Read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-hersman/tonight-have-the-talk---a_b_8600876.html

Thousands of Drug Users Are Rescuing Each Other with Antidote Naloxone
Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post
November 22, 2015

This article discusses naloxone use among drug users. Some keep it on hand for friends. First responders are frustrated with naloxone because they keep reviving the same people. Baltimore started distributing naloxone in 2004, mostly through its needle-exchange program, 8 years after the approach was pioneered in Chicago. Baltimore now makes the drug available to all residents via prescription signed by the city’s health commissioner. Drugstores sell it for $1 to anyone on Medicaid. The only requirement for carrying it is a 5-minute training course, which purchasers may take in the back of the city’s needle-exchange van. The city also trains soon-to-be-released jail inmates on naloxone use.

Read more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/thousands-of-drug-users-are-saving-each-other-with-antidote-naloxone/2015/11/22/d1f2e408-87df-11e5-be39-0034bb576eee_story.html

Public Health Group Calls for Action to Curb Opioid Abuse
Kathleen Louden, Medscape
November 20, 2015

A new American Public Health Association policy statement calls for reducing prescription pain reliever misuse through coordinated legislative and educational strategies at the local, state, and national levels. Recommended strategies include expanding access to naloxone; implementing evidence-based provider training programs; encouraging providers to use best practices when prescribing pain medication; and educating patients and the public about proper medication storage and disposal. The full policy statement will be published online in 2016.

Read more:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/854819

Senator Jeanne Shaheen Proposes $600 Million to Fight Heroin Abuse
Heather Hamel, WMUR
November 23, 2015

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D–N.H.) proposed a $600 million emergency funding bill to help address the heroin crisis. Most of the money would go to prevention, treatment, and recovery programs. Funding would also support states’ prescription drug monitoring programs. (Includes video: 1:57 minutes)

Read more:
http://www.wmur.com/politics/jeanne-shaheen-proposes-600-million-to-fight-heroin-abuse/36611782

Senator Angus King Proposes Prescription Drug Disposal Program
Mal Leary, Maine Public Radio
November 24, 2015

U.S. Senator Angus King (I–Maine) proposed legislation that would allow consumers to mail unused and unneeded prescription drugs to a national disposal program.

Read more:
http://news.mpbn.net/post/sen-king-proposes-prescription-drug-disposal-program

Marijuana

B.J. Fairman. 2015. “Trends in Registered Medical Marijuana Participation Across 13 US States and District of Columbia.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence, doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.11.015.

Medical marijuana participation was relatively low and flat from 2001 to 2008 (fewer than 5 per 1,000 adults), according to an analysis of data from 13 state medical marijuana patient registries and the District of Columbia. Participation rose sharply in Colorado, Montana, and Michigan in 2009–10 but not for other states. Rates now are 15–30 per 1,000 adults in Colorado, Oregon, and Montana. The national average is about 7.6 per 1,000 adults. Two thirds of participants are male, but sex differences may be decreasing over time. Less than 1 percent of medical marijuana registrants are under age 18, but this segment is growing in Colorado and Oregon. Participants tend to be in their 50s, but Colorado and Arizona have larger proportions of young adult (ages 21–30) registrants.

Read more:
http://www.drugandalcoholdependence.com/article/S0376-8716(15)01759-7/abstract

Are You Prepared for Medical Cannabis?
Noah A. Frank, SmithAmundsen LLC
November 23, 2015

Employers can prepare for medical marijuana by being proactive to ensure compliance with various laws. The author discusses nondiscrimination policies and drug tolerance and testing.

Read more:
http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=4aee9253-7f3f-4e01-bf57-5398caf8313c

Heartland Community College Offering Medical Marijuana Class for Employers
Date and time: December 8, 2015, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Heartland Community College
ACEC Room 2210
1500 West Raab Road
Normal, IL 61761

Attendees of this customized training will receive the tools and information needed to make decisions about medical marijuana use at their organizations. The training will also address topics such as Illinois law and legislation around medical cannabis, employees’ rights under the federal Family Medical Leave Act and Americans with Disabilities Act, and how employers can manage their drug policies.

Read more:
http://www.heartland.edu/news/2015/medicalmarijuanaintheworkplace.html

Will the Bernie Sanders Pot Bill Make Drug Testing Go Up in Smoke?
Susan Sagarin, Bloomberg BNA
November 24, 2015

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D–Vt.), who is running for the 2016 Democratic party presidential nomination, introduced a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana. Passage could impact employer and workplace drug-testing policies. Marijuana legalization would have little impact on existing drug-testing requirements for employers in safety-sensitive or federally regulated workplaces. Private employers with drug-testing policies might be subject to more court challenges, especially if employees can be fired for off-duty pot use. The blog post’s author recommends that as laws change, employers with drug-testing policies that include marijuana testing should consult with legal counsel familiar with applicable federal, state, and local laws. This might be a good time to remind employees about the existing workplace policies on drugs and alcohol.

Read more:
http://www.bna.com/bernie-sanders-pot-b57982063921

International

Report: Prescription Monitoring System Could Prevent Fentanyl Overdose Deaths
CBC News
November 24, 2015

A new report shows less than 30 percent of doctors in British Columbia, Canada, use PharmaNet prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) software to track patient prescription history. The report calls for tighter regulations on physician PDMP use when prescribing fentanyl, OxyContin, and other opioids.

Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/prescription-monitoring-system-1.3333763

Common Painkillers to Remain Over the Counter Until 2017 After Ruling Delay
Jane Lee, Sydney Morning Herald
November 20, 2015

Australia’s drug regulator has decided common pain relievers can retain their over-the-counter status for another year. The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s decision comes after it was inundated by submissions from people who opposed the move to prescription status. Codeine is increasingly being abused, and regulators doubt reducing pack size and drug labeling could adequately combat misuse and dependence. A final ruling is expected in June. The Australian Medical Association and Australian College of General Practitioners have backed the proposed change. The Pharmacy Guild of Australia believes it is unlikely to curb addiction and could disadvantage the majority who use the drugs safely.

Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/common-painkillers-to-remain-over-the-counter-until-2017-after-ruling-delay-20151119-gl2yld.html

Northeast/Mid-Atlantic News

Mass. Governor Signs Law Making Fentanyl Trafficking a Crime
Shira Schoenberg, MassLive
November 24, 2015

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed a law that will make trafficking fentanyl a crime, increasing the penalty to 20 years in prison for anyone who distributes more than 10 grams.

Read more:
http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/11/gov_charlie_baker_signs_law_ma.html

Deadly Heroin Combinations on Rise Throughout Connecticut
Juliemar Ortiz, New Haven Register
November 21, 2015

Deaths from a combination of heroin and fentanyl and heroin and cocaine have risen significantly in Connecticut. This year, through September, deaths from heroin and fentanyl totaled 69, up from 37 in 2014 and just 1 in 2012.

Read more:
http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20151121/deadly-heroin-combinations-on-rise-throughout-connecticut

A Life-Saving Drug Is Now Available to Everyone in Pennsylvania
Gary Tennis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
November 22, 2015

Gary Tennis, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, discusses naloxone access among individuals and first responders. All Pennsylvanians now have access to the drug, and the process to get it is easy. However, many first responders in municipal areas with high overdose rates still do not carry naloxone. Tennis argues naloxone gives people with addiction a chance to recover because they cannot be treated if they are dead. He hopes access to naloxone translates into broad acceptance and use of the medication and propels people who suffer from addiction into treatment.

Read more:
http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2015/11/22/A-life-saving-drug-now-available-to-all-Naloxone/stories/201511220009

Connecticut Increases Efforts to Train Health Workers in Narcan Use
New Haven Register
November 22, 2015

The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is providing Narcan (naloxone hydrochloride) training to healthcare workers at several behavioral health and substance use treatment programs across the state. The training program describes the heroin crisis; how to spot someone having an opioid overdose; and how to use three Narcan administration devices: a needle, an intranasal spray device, and an auto-injector.

Read more:
http://www.nhregister.com/health/20151122/connecticut-increases-efforts-to-train-health-workers-in-narcan-use-to-help-prevent-fatal-opioid-overdoses

South News

Virginia Attorney General’s Office Produces Drug Abuse Documentary
Associated Press
November 24, 2015

The Virginia Attorney General’s Office produced a documentary, Heroin: The Hardest Hit, about the dangers of heroin and prescription drug misuse. This movie will be available for free to schools and other organizations.

Read more:fv
http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/ap/article_3d0a8b9c-52ea-504e-bbaa-8c9a4b20aede.html

Midwest News

Michigan Urged to Overhaul Prescription Monitoring System
James David Dickson, Detroit News
November 21, 2015

A governor-appointed task force said Michigan’s prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) needs to be revamped to make it more efficient and comprehensive. The task force found the PDMP has limited capacity, slow speed, and a mismatch between those who use the system and those who should be required to use it. Overhauling it may require a legislative appropriation.

Read more:
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/11/21/michigan-prescription-monitoring-system/76178146

West News

Oregon Lawmaker to Propose Bill Preventing Drug Abuse
Redmond News Today
November 24, 2015

Oregon Representative Knute Buehler will introduce a bill during the 2016 session that would allow pharmacists to distribute naloxone without a prescription and make it easier for doctors to use the prescription drug monitoring program.

Read more:
http://www.redmondnewstoday.com/archives/134346

Denver Police and Fire Carrying Heroin Antidote to Save Lives
Noelle Phillips, Denver Post
November 22, 2015

Denver police and firefighters have administered 92 doses of naloxone since July, when they began carrying the antidote. During the same 4-month period, Denver’s paramedics, who have administered the drug for several years, have given 1,050 doses. The Denver Fire Department successfully reversed overdoses in 39 of the 87 times its staff administered naloxone. Because the drug does no harm, first responders often give it to unresponsive patients, even when there is no direct evidence the person has used a drug.

Read more:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29149385/denver-police-and-fire-carrying-heroin-antidote-save

Grant Awards

Grant Aims to Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse in Santa Cruz County (Calif.)
Stephen Baxter, Monterey Herald
November 21, 2015

California’s Santa Cruz County was awarded a $60,000 grant from the California HealthCare Foundation to help prevent prescription drug misuse and provide more treatment options to people addicted to prescription medicine.

Read more:
http://www.montereyherald.com/general-news/20151121/grant-aims-to-prevent-prescription-drug-abuse-in-santa-cruz-county

Grant Announcements

National Institute on Drug Abuse Challenge: Addiction Research—There’s an App for That
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Submission period begins November 3, 2015, 9 a.m., EST.
Submission period ends April 29, 2016, 11:59 p.m., EST.
http://nida.ideascale.com/a/pages/addiction-research-theres-an-app-for-that

National Institute on Drug Abuse Translational Avant-Garde Award for Development of Medication to Treat Substance Use Disorders
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Deadline: December 3, 2015
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html

New Jersey Health Initiative 2016: Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey—Communities Moving to Action, Round 2
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Deadline: January 14, 2016
http://www.rwjf.org/en/library/funding-opportunities/2015/njhi-2016--building-a-culture-of-health-in-new-jersey---communiti.html

Research on Prescription Opioid Use, Opioid Prescribing, and Associated Heroin Risk (RFA-CE-16-003)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Deadline: February 18, 2016
http://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?oppId=280151

Take-Back Events & Drop Boxes

Don’t Flush; Drop Them Off. Medicines Can Kill!
Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Iowa
November 24, 2015
http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/don-t-flush-drop-them-medicines-can-kill

Poughkeepsie Event on Dec. 8 Offers Chance to Dispose of Unwanted Prescription Drugs
Daily Freeman (New York)
November 24, 2015
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20151124/poughkeepsie-event-on-dec-8-offers-chance-to-dispose-of-unwanted-prescription-drugs

APD Sets Up New Drop-Off Site for Pills
Chip Womick, Courier-Tribune (North Carolina)
November 21, 2015
http://courier-tribune.com/news/local/apd-sets-new-drop-site-pills

WPD Now Offers Drop Box for Expired Medications
Andrew Branca, Waxahachietx Daily Light (Texas)
November 21, 2015
http://www.waxahachietx.com/article/20151121/NEWS/151129903

Midlothian Police, Anti-Drug Groups Celebrate New Medication Disposal Box
Bethany Kurtz, Midlothian Mirror (Texas)
November 23, 2015
http://www.midlothianmirror.com/article/20151123/NEWS/151129827

Upcoming Conferences and Workshops

Ensuring Access to Pain Care: Engaging Pain Medicine and Primary Care Teams
American Academy of Pain Medicine
February 18–21, 2016
Palm Springs, California
http://www.painmed.org/annualmeeting

2016 National Rx Drug and Heroin Summit
March 28–31, 2016
Atlanta, Georgia
http://nationalrxdrugabusesummit.org

Third Annual Smart Approaches to Marijuana Education Summit
March 31, 2016
Atlanta, Georgia
http://nationalrxdrugabusesummit.org/sam-summit-2

Register:
https://www.123contactform.com/form-1486587/2016-National-Rx-Drug-Abuse-Summit
The Weekly Update is a service provided by the SAMHSA Preventing Prescription Abuse in the Workplace Technical Assistance Center (PAW) to keep the field abreast of recent news and journal articles to assist in forming policy, research, and programs to reduce prescription drug misuse or abuse. Please note, the materials listed are not reflective of SAMHSA's or PAW's viewpoint or opinion and are not assessed for validity, reliability or quality. The Weekly Update should not be considered an endorsement of the findings. Readers are cautioned not to act on the results of single studies, but rather to seek bodies of evidence. Copyright considerations prevent PAW from providing full text of journal articles listed in the Weekly Update.