Addiction
The Opioid Epidemic Is Slashing Philly’s Overall Life Expectancy
Life expectancy in Philadelphia is on the decline — and officials say drug overdoses are a major driving factor. The just-released Health of the City […]
Independence Blue Cross Announces Big Drops in Opioid Prescriptions and Use Among Members
Independence Blue Cross says it’s making headway in fighting the opioid crisis. The insurer’s efforts over the last four years have led to a dramatic […]
Report: Pa. Has Nation’s Second-Highest Rate of Opioid-Related Doctor Arrests
Opioid-related deaths in Pennsylvania are outpacing the national average, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2015 and 2016, the state saw […]
The Joy of Recovery
There is something that the clients at the Crozer-Keystone Recovery Center, where I serve as director, may not realize right away: I know. I know […]
Report: Philly Drug Overdose Deaths Jumped to New Record in 2017
A report from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health on Tuesday shed some light on just how dire and damaging the city’s opioid crisis has […]
Here’s When (and Where) Philly’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Will Open
Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana dispensaries first opened their doors in February. Two months later, patients in Philadelphia are still waiting for the day when they don’t have to […]
Pa. Approves Sale of Dry Medical Marijuana, Use of Cannabis to Treat Opioid Withdrawal
Those who are registered for the state’s medical marijuana program will soon find a new product on the market: dry leaf and flower. The state greenlighted […]
Larry Krasner Sues Big Pharma, Drops All Marijuana Possession Charges
On the same day a Philly.com op-ed was published in which Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (and Mayor Kenney) admitted the failure that was the […]
Kenney and Krasner: Criminalizing Crack Addiction Was a Mistake
Philly Mayor Jim Kenney and District Attorney Larry Krasner declared on Thursday that criminalizing crack addiction in the 1970s and ’80s was a mistake. In an […]
Philly Just Announced Plans for the Nation’s First Safe Injection Site
It’s official: Philly is embracing plans to open the nation’s first safe injection site. At a press conference on Tuesday, officials detailed the grim effects of […]
How Close Is Philly to Opening the Nation’s First Safe Injection Site?
We’re not even two weeks into 2018, and one of the year’s major hot topics is already clear: safe injection sites. On Tuesday, Philly’s stance […]
Cable TV Scion Chase Lenfest Sued Over Marijuana Deal Gone Bad
Last June, Pennsylvania awarded medical marijuana licenses to 12 companies in the state, allowing them to cultivate and process cannabis for sale at as-yet-to-open dispensaries. […]
SEPTA Officers Revive Pregnant Woman Who OD’d Twice in One Night
A pair of SEPTA Transit Police officers saved the life of an unidentified pregnant woman on two separate occasions after she overdosed on heroin twice […]
Krasner: Safe Injection Sites Work
As the conversation surrounding safe injection sites ramps up following a cleanup of the city’s most notorious spot for heroin users, Philly DA candidates are weighing […]
RESPONSE: The City Was Well Prepared for the Conrail Heroin Camp Cleanup
While Thom Nickels’s August 31st column, “Neighborhoods Are Bearing the Cost of the Conrail Heroin Camp Cleanup,” contains a number of inaccuracies, perhaps the most […]