addiction
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‘Life over abstinence’: Colorado legislators again pursue supervised drug use centers
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When Maggie Seldeen’s mother died from a heroin overdose, no one called 911. At only 15 years old, overdoses were almost commonplace in Seldeen’s world, surrounded by addiction, drug dealing and domestic violence in the Roaring Fork Valley. Seldeen, an injection drug user herself at the time, did not know about naloxone, or Narcan, which…
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Lawmakers kill bill to allow supervised drug injection sites in Colorado
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Proponents seeking to establish supervised drug injection sites in Colorado saw their latest effort in a years-long battle meet a bitter end Wednesday evening. House Bill 1202 sought to give municipalities the power to allow sites in their communities where people could use illegal drugs under supervision of medical professionals, which backers of the policy said would…
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Colorado Democrats OK substance abuse intervention for middle, high schools
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A proposal from Colorado teenagers to offer substance abuse intervention guidelines to schools passed its final vote in the state legislature Friday. If signed into law, House Bill 1009 would create a committee tasked with developing best practices for middle and high schools to identify students who need substance use treatment, offer intervention and refer the students…
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Colorado on track to receive $385 million from settlements over opioid epidemic
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Colorado is on track to receive roughly $385 million as part of legal settlements reached with Johnson & Johnson and three of the country’s largest drug distribution companies over their role fueling the opioid epidemic, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday. The sum represents Colorado’s share of the payout in a $26 billion class…
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UCHealth launches $100M initiative to combat Colorado mental health crisis
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Aurora-based UCHealth today announced a sweeping, $100 million initiative to combat the state’s mental health crisis. A $25 million matching donation program could boost support to as much as $150 million, which will be used to embed mental health care professionals in primary care offices, build and expand tele-psychiatry and virtual care and ultimately complete…
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COVER STORY | Magic mushrooms in Denver: Medicine or mayhem?
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Denver voters will head into uncharted territory when they decide whether to decriminalize possession of small amounts of psilocybin, better known as “magic mushrooms.” Initiated Ordinance 301 on the ballot mailed to city voters starting April 15 would make use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms “the city’s lowest law-enforcement priority.” And while the mushroom referendum…
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DeGette seeks to stop deceit, kickbacks in substance-abuse treatment
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WASHINGTON – Colorado’s U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette questioned mental health officials at a congressional hearing this week on how to avoid deceptive advertising that could mislead patients desperate for substance abuse treatment. Tuesday’s hearing before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations caps a year-long probe into what some members of Congress…
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DeGette, congressional panel assess effectiveness of opioid treatment grants
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WASHINGTON – A government health care administrator advocated expanding access to opioid addiction treatment Thursday during a congressional hearing at a time when the drug’s health risks are becoming a campaign issue in Colorado. “What we have to do is to work very hard to integrate substance abuse treatment, opioid addiction treatment, into primary care settings…
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CONGRESSIONAL ROUNDUP | How Colorado’s delegation voted this week
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H.R. 5041: Safe Disposal of Unused Medication Act This was a vote to pass H.R. 5041 in the House. The Safe Disposal of Unused Medication Act is intended to prevent the misuse or theft of unused medications by authorizing hospice care workers to dispose of unused drugs, usually after hospice patients die or the medication…
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Gardner criticized by pot opponents for legalization-law stance
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – A leading opponent of marijuana legalization on Friday criticized U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado for his defense of the state’s laws legalizing the sale and use of cannabis. “Let’s put it this way: He’s no profile in courage,” former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy told Colorado Politics after a press conference in…
