OPIOIDS

Last year had twice as many deaths as the state saw 10 years ago, and numbers have climbed significantly since 2018 when there were just over 600.

Acute and chronic pain are unrelated and must be treated as such, says author of new book on the complexity of chronic pain and the need for a multispecialty, non-opioid model of chronic pain treatment.

Fentanyl has taken root in Montana and in communities across the Mountain West during the pandemic, after formerly being prevalent mostly east of the Mississippi River, said Keith Humphreys of the Stanford-Lancet Commission on the North American Opioid Crisis. Montana law enforcement officials have intercepted record numbers of pale-blue pills made to look like prescription opioids such as OxyContin. Nationwide, at least 103,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2021, a 45% increase from 2019, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 7 of every 10 of those deaths were from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl.

The bureaus hope to share resources and have an open discussion on mental health and opioid addictions in rural/farming communities.

Counties and cities are set to receive 75 percent of the funding, while the state will see 25 percent. The money is set to be used for response to the opioid epidemic and its fallout.

The pharmacies are accused of giving cash handouts to keep customers coming back, and one allegedly distributed its own currency, “monkey bucks,” inspired by a pet monkey that was once a common sight behind the counter.

The grant aligns with Essentia Health’s successful opioid stewardship program, an initiative that has resulted in significantly fewer opioid prescriptions, according to a news release from the health care provider.

“Dopesick: America’s Opioid Epidemic” will take place virtually noon to 1 p.m. Friday, March 18, and after her presentation, journalist and author Beth Macy will take questions from attendees.

West-central Minnesota health system is implementing an easy reference guide for physicians and information for patients about managing acute pain without using opioid pain medications. Often, the first line of treatment is over-the-counter painkillers, which doctors say are more effective than people think.