Woman robbed at Forty First St. and Lake Shore Blvd. West of prescription drugs with $10,000 street value

An Aug. 17, 2016 Toronto Star article is entitled: “Woman robbed of prescription drugs with $10,000 street value: Police say the 63-year-old was pushed by two assailants, who stole hundreds of painkillers and muscle relaxants.”

The opening paragraphs read:

Police are warning the public after two men allegedly pushed a 63-year-old woman to the ground and stole hundreds of prescription pills with an estimated street value of $10,000.

Toronto police Const. Jenniferjit Sidhu said the woman filled a prescription at her pharmacy and was approached by the men at around 11 a.m. Tuesday, near the intersection of 41st St. and Lake Shore Blvd. W. in south Etobicoke.

The woman was then pushed to the ground and robbed of her prescription drugs, police allege. Sidhu said the woman “suffered minor abrasions to her the top of her feet and knees, and has leg and muscle pain and stiffness” after the alleged attack.”

[End of excerpt]

Toronto Police Service news release

An Aug. 17, 2016 Toronto Police Service news release is entitled: “Public Safety Alert, Forty-First Street and Lake Shore Boulevard West area, Stolen medication.”

Opioids

A July 19, 2016 at fivethirtyeight.com  article  is entitled: “What Science Says To Do If Your Loved One Has An Opioid Addiction.”

The opening paragraphs (I have committed the links embedded in the paragraph) read:

When a family member, spouse or other loved one develops an opioid addiction — whether to pain relievers like Vicodin or to heroin — few people know what to do. Faced with someone who appears to be driving heedlessly into the abyss, families often fight, freeze or flee, unable to figure out how to help.

Families are sometimes overwhelmed with conflicting advice about what should come next. Much of the advice given by treatment groups and programs ignores what the data says in a similar way that anti-vaccination or climate skeptic websites ignore science. The addictions field is neither adequately regulated nor effectively overseen. There are no federal standards for counseling practices or rehab programs. In many states, becoming an addiction counselor doesn’t require a high school degree or any standardized training. “There’s nothing professional about it, and it’s not evidence-based,” said Dr. Mark Willenbring, the former director of treatment research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, who now runs a clinic that treats addictions.

Consequently, families are often given guidance that bears no resemblance to what the research evidence shows — and patients are commonly subjected to treatment that is known to do harm. People who are treated as experts firmly proclaim that they know what they are doing, but often turn out to base their care entirely on their own personal and clinical experience, not data. “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” which many people see as an example of the best care available, for instance, used an approach that is not known to be effective for opioid addiction. More than 13 percent of its participants died after treatment,1 mainly of overdoses that could potentially have been prevented with evidence-based care. Unethical practices such as taking kickbacks for patient referrals are also rampant.

[End of excerpt]

Opioids: Additional articles

An Aug. 2, 2016 Stat article is entitled: “Dope Sick: A harrowing story of best friends, addiction — and a stealth killer.”

An Aug. 22, 2016 CBC article is entitled: “Fentanyl found at Prince’s estate mislabelled as weaker opioid: Prince had no prescription for controlled substances in Minnesota in the 12 months before he died.”

An Aug. 23, 2016 Daily Hampshire Gazette article is entitled: “Student athletes cautioned on opioid medication.”

An Aug. 24, 2016 Vancouver Sun article is entitled: “Doctors ‘waking up’ to opioid over-prescription problem in Canada: CMPA [Canadian Medical Protective Association].”

An Aug. 25, 2016 Independent (U.K.} article is entitled: “Illegal drugs are changing the basis of the food chain in rivers: ‘As society continues to grapple with aging wastewater infrastructure and escalating pharmaceutical and illicit drug use, we need to consider collateral damages to our freshwater resources’”.

An Aug. 29, 2016 New Yorker article is entitled: “A Drawdown in the War of Drugs: The President’s commuting of sentences and an end of the use of private prisons signal potentially meaningful changes in how the United States handles drug abuse.”

An Aug. 29, 2016 Globe and Mail article is entitled: “An unprepared Ontario faces imminent fentanyl crisis, groups warn.”

A Sept. 16, 2016 CBC article is entitled: “Former Barrie physician tells story of recovery from fentanyl addiction: Darryl Gebien says fentanyl is ‘frightening’ and he wants to help others addicted to it.”

A Sept. 17, 2016 CBC article is entitled: “The new face of fentanyl addiction: Kati’s story: ‘I just couldn’t stop,’ 22-year-old says.”

A Sept. 21, 2016 CBC article is entitled: ” ‘Bionic’ opioid 100 times stronger than fentanyl may already be on Canadian streets.”

A Nov. 7, 2016 CBC article is entitled: “Curb ‘rampant prescribing of opioids and reduce deaths,’ Canadian doctors say: It’s late, but not too late, for Canada to reduce the toll of opioid overuse and abuse.”

A Dec. 22, 2016 Globe and Mail article is entitled: The cold truth behind B.C.’s overdose epidemic.”

A may 19, 2017 CBC article is entitled: “Opioid conflict-of-interest controversy reveals extent of big pharma’s ties to doctors: Financial ties between doctors, hospitals and the pharma field are widely accepted — but rarely discussed.”

A July 26, 2017 Columbia Review of Journalism article is entitled: “Photos reveal media’s softer tone on opioid crisis.”

Previous posts related to Drug Wars

Click here for previous posts about Drugs Wars >

Click here for previous posts about opioids >

As well, a useful, evidence-based resource is entitled: Cochrane Handbook of Alcohol and Drug Misuse (2012).

 

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