One-Third of Americans Know Someone Who Died of an Overdose, LA Bans "Gas Station Heroin," More... (5/31/24)

A new Tennessee poll has a strong majority for marijuana legalization, a Japanese three-year-old is honored for spotting an opium poppy, and more.

Rogue opium plants beware! Inspector Kawamura Yuki, 3, is on the job.

Tennessee Poll Shows Strong Majority for Marijuana Legalization. Somebody should tell the state legislature. Although the Republican-dominated legislature can't bestir itself even to pass medical marijuana, Tennesseans are ready to move on to full-bore legalization, according to a new poll from Vanderbilt University. That poll has support for legalization at 60 percent statewide.

Poll co-director John Greer said there are "strong party differences," with Republicans much more likely to oppose legalization and Democrats to favor it.

The legislature has deigned to allow Tennesseans some limited access to CBD oil and hemp products, but such half-steps are as far as lawmakers have been willing to go.

Drug Policy

A Third of American Adults Know Someone Who Died of a Drug Overdose. More than a million Americans have died of drug overdoses so far this century, leaving behind friends and relatives. Now, a new survey from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that nearly one-third (32 percent) of American adults knew one of those overdose victims.

That is an estimated 82.7 million people. Nearly one-fifth of American adults (18.9 percent), or 49.8 million people reported having a close friend or immediate family member die of a drug overdose.

The survey found no difference around political party affiliation but did find that those who knew overdose victims were more likely to see addiction as a very or extremely important policy issue. Overdose losses were reported across all income groups. Forty percent of lower-income respondents (defined as annual household incomes less than $30,000) reported overdose loss. Over one-quarter -- 26 percent -- of respondents in the $100,000 and higher annual household income category reported an overdose loss.

The data suggested a high level of agreement across all groups -- greater than 60 percent, even among those reporting no overdose loss -- that addiction is an extremely or very important policy issue. Respondents who reported overdose loss had 37 percent greater odds of viewing addiction as a very or extremely important policy priority.

"The drug overdose crisis is a national tragedy," said Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School, who led the analysis. "Although large numbers of UD adults are bereaved due to overdose, they may not be as visible as other groups who have lost loved ones to less stigmatized health issues. Movements to build support for policy change to overcome the devastating toll of the overdose crisis should consider the role of this community."

"This study contributes new evidence that the addiction crisis and the losses that come with it are common across Americans, but the burden is greater among those who are more economically precarious," said Catherine Ettman, PhD, an assistant professor in the Bloomberg School's Department of Health Policy and Management. "Addressing addiction can be a unifying theme in increasingly divided times."

Louisiana Bans "Gas Station Heroin." Gov. Jeff Landry (R) has signed into law Senate Bill 17, which criminalizes the sale and possession of tianeptine, a drug commonly known as "gas station heroin" for its opioid-like effects.

The bill makes the federally unregulated anti-depressant a Schedule I substance under the state's Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law.

The CDC reports that tianeptine overuse and withdrawal can mimic opioid toxicity effects seen in actual opioids. The FDA began warning consumers about tianeptine in November 2023, citing reports of users suffering seizures and loss of consciousness.

The bill passed both chambers unanimously and will go into effect August 1.

International

Japanese Three-Year-Old Commended for Finding Banned Opium Poppy. Police in Tokushima City in western Japan have honored a local boy for finding a banned opium poppy in his neighborhood. Kawamura Yuki, 3, found the plant with blooming purple flowers while walking with his mother last month.

When the boy spotted the plant, his mother looked it up on her phone and found it was "atsumigeshi," or the opium poppy. She also learned the plant is banned in Japan and then notified police.

Police then held a ceremony at the local police station, where the chief asked Yuki to keep his mind strong and moral and to help maintain peace in the community. They dressed the boy in a child's police uniform and gave him a ride on a motorcycle and a police car.

Yuki said people should not touch poppy plants if they find them.

Although the plant is banned, it is prolific. Police removed more than 10,450 poppy plants in Tokushima Prefecture last year.