opioids
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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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Opioids, vet benefits, civil rights top Hickenlooper’s bill signings this week
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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has begun the last round of statewide bill signings for his time in office, with ceremonies starting on the Front Range and ending the week on the Western Slope. Hickenlooper has until June 8 to sign, veto or allow bills to become law without his signature. The General Assembly sent 432…
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Congress prepares to vote on cannabis research, treatment for veterans
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WASHINGTON – A congressional committee approved a bill Tuesday that would allow cannabis to be used to treat veterans suffering chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. Both ailments disproportionately affect many veterans, according to witnesses who testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Colorado U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman said the bill could create a better…
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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…
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This Week at the Capitol: April 9-13
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Here are the legislative committee hearings of note for the week ahead at the Colorado Capitol. Committee schedules are subject to change. The daily schedule is available on the legislature’s website. Click here and scroll down to committee hearings to listen online. MONDAY Colorado Independent Ethics Commission, 9 a.m., Colorado Judicial Building, Room 1CThe commission is expected…
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Colorado House moving bills aimed at high healthcare costs
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DENVER – House Democrats have made good, so far, on their promise to pass bills aimed at curbing healthcare costs, and Thursday they passed one out of committee to address the high cost of insulin. House Bill 1009, sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, would require pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers and nonprofits to…
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Colorado’s Sen. Bennet seeks solutions for opioid addiction problems
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet cited alarming figures on the rise of opioid addictions in Colorado as he asked expert witnesses at a Senate hearing Thursday for their suggestions on a solution. He said too many addictions to the powerful painkillers are treated only after they reach a crisis. “There’s agreement from the witnesses…
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Congress seeks ways to stop opioid addiction and deaths
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WASHINGTON – Congress sought answers Thursday to the opioid crisis that is killing more people every year in Colorado and elsewhere. Opioids are painkillers that can become addictive with continued use. An overdose can be deadly, killing as many as 33,000 people in the United States last year, according to National Center for Health Statistics.…
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U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman raises concerns with VA ‘drug centric’ culture for veterans
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U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican, is working on moving the Department of Veterans Affairs away from prescribing “strong” psychotherapeutic medications to veterans. He said the department uses the medications as its “primary method of treating” veterans with mental health conditions, and that has Coffman concerned. “An over reliance on prescription medication may in some…
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Lamar constituents hear about TABOR and hemp at Crowder, Lewis town hall
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Sen. Larry Crowder and Kimmi Lewis were all aboard on hemp last session and had no qualms about selling out the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, because the price was right. The Lamar Ledger this weekend provided a thorough accounting of a town hall meeting with the two southern Colorado Republicans last Thursday night at Lamar…
