What happened to reporting about heroin use and overdoses?

[zanana1]

For awhile, it was the top story everywhere. Now it seems to have disappeared. Has this epidemic been solved? The silence is so loud. I wish I knew what the hell was going on.

[zanana1]

1. Nobody has replied to this post, either.

That's terrible.

[irisblue]

5. Well, 8:40 am, eastern US on a holiday morning might slow things down.

I know Sen Rob Portman (R Oh) has been tweeting about his bills. The local NPR station has had programs about use and recovery efforts.
The podcast-https://www.npr.org/podcasts/organizations/560

[haele]

2. The media only reports on the problem if there's nothing else to use as a distraction.

There is still a heroin and opioid problem, especially in poor, rural America where pain killers were handed out like candy for relatively minor but painful injuries, because affordable physical therapy was rarely available in rural areas and there's few other legal alternatives to wean oneself off in those locations.

The cynical corporate media observer in me notes that TPTB who decide what to focus on to keep in front of the the public realized that the heroin abuse stories were starting to attract calls for actual action by the GOP constituancy, which could upset the status quo and possibly their ad revenue. So when the next shiny outrage of the season came up, they quickly dropped the problem, hoping it would just go away due to attrition (the "problem"killing off it's victims) and outage exhaustion.

Haele

[Tanuki]

3. It's being reported in my area (Nashville).

For example:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/health/2020/07/16/nashville-opioid-deaths-soar-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/5444690002/

"The opioid epidemic has led to twice as many deaths as COVID-19 in Nashville in 2020 and is on track to kill more people than ever before, according to new data from the Metro Public Health Department.

Opioid overdoses are up 47% from this time last year. The majority of victims are younger men killed by fentanyl, which is commonly laced into heroin and other blackmarket drugs.

Surging deaths in Nashville expand upon an already growing crisis. Tennessee saw steep growth in drug overdose deaths in 2019 when compared to the previous year, newly released federal data shows.

As all eyes turned to the global coronavirus pandemic, Tennessee's opioid epidemic has quietly worsened outside of the public spotlight. Trevor Henderson, a Metro Health official who tracks the opioid crisis, said drug overdoses of all kinds have increased since the virus arrived in Nashville in March. 

"It's hard to imagine they're not connected,” Henderson said. “The sense of isolation, being disconnected from the community, stresses including losing jobs, all of these things can have an impact on somebody relapsing and using again.”

The ongoing opioid crisis — the deadliest drug epidemic in American history — was largely sparked by the overprescription and abuse of prescription medications. Painkillers like OxyContin were prescribed frequently and in large dosages, leading many patients to become dependent or addicted to these drugs."....(more at link)

[zanana1]

6. I'm glad it's being reported in your area.

I know that it's not "exciting" anymore, but people are still dying or living miserable lives because of this addiction.

[Tanuki]

7. Check out today's WSJ:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-opioid-crisis-already-serious-has-intensified-during-coronavirus-pandemic-11599557401?redirect=amp#click=https://t.co/zhCXATjTWo

"The Opioid Crisis, Already Serious, Has Intensified During Coronavirus Pandemic
Overdose deaths rise as job losses and stress from Covid-19 destabilize people struggling with addiction

When Covid-19 struck, the U.S. was already in the grip of an expanding drug-overdose crisis. It has only gotten worse since then.

Counties in states spanning the country, from Washington to Arizona and Florida, are reporting rising drug fatalities this year, according to data collected by The Wall Street Journal. This follows a likely record number of deadly overdoses in the U.S. last year, with more than 72,000 people killed, according to federal projections."....(More, if you can get past the pay wall. I can't)

[zanana1]

9. Thank you for the link.

[Klaralven]

4. The media fills the available hours with the stories that get the most eyeballs.

Deaths appear to have peaked in 2017, with a slight decline in 2018. I can't find any 2019 data.

[fescuerescue]

8. There always has to be a top story

Heroin fit the bill at the time.

After COVID falls from the headline, there will be something new.

Frankly I'm glad that Heroin, Opiates and overdoes are passe news. Not because it's not a serious problem (indeed I had someone I care deeply about impacted), but because of the complete over-reaction that is causing patients in pain to not get what they need.