By Julie Burns (Boston Globe) Nowhere in New England is the opioid crisis more visible than at Boston’s intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, even months after the area was cleared of tents.
Meth use poses rising threat in Massachusetts: Report cites need for more harm reduction tactics for stimulant use
(CommonWealth) THE SCOURGE of opioid addiction has made headlines for years, as state policymakers aim to reduce the epidemic of overdose deaths. Less noticed – but still highly dangerous – is the growing use of stimulant drugs, like cocaine and methamphetamines.
Burns: Services must be central to city’s Mass and Cass plan
By Julie Burns (Boston Herald) While Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey’s plan for addressing the humanitarian crisis at “Mass and Cass” puts people with addiction first and thus is a good start, its success will depend upon providing the right type of services.
Boston Declares Addiction, Homelessness Emergency
(AP) Boston declared addiction and homelessness a public health emergency on Tuesday, a move that will help the city clear a sprawling homeless camp at the epicenter of the city’s opioid crisis.
‘There is an urgency’: Janey unveils Mass. and Cass plan as city declares addiction and homelessness a public health crisis
(Boston Globe) Boston officials on Tuesday suggested they are preparing to remove the sprawling encampment of tents that has sprung up near Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, the heart of the city’s addiction and homelessness crisis.
This unique buyback program aims to reduce needle litter in Boston
The effort eases a nuisance, but doesn’t solve the growing problems of addiction and drug use on city streets.An unusual program has cleaned up hundreds of thousands of discarded needles in Boston by buying them from homeless people who collect them from streets and...
‘It’s staggering:’ South Shore officials blame Purdue Pharma following $4 billion settlement
By The Patriot Ledger
“The number of dead, the number of orphans, the number of parents burying their adult children because of this misconduct, is staggering,” Michael Morrissey, the Norfolk County District Attorney, said.
Opioid Overdose Deaths Rise During Pandemic
Deaths from opioid overdoses increased in Massachusetts during the pandemic, after three years of a steady decline. The rise in deaths is an alarming sign and one that experts say is likely indicative of the harmful impacts the pandemic is having on…
Abutters Struggle with Mass & Cass Problems
By The Bay State Banner
Growing up in the Roxbury and South End neighborhoods, Yahaira Lopez is one of many who has cut through Clifford Park to get to Target and Stop & Shop. Now, she can’t bear to walk through it. The last time she did this past year, Lopez was…
‘A perfect storm’: Pandemic is making it harder to kick drugs
By The Patriot Ledger
This three-day series looks at how the Quincy Police Department’s Narcan program continues to save and change lives. Today: The ongoing coronavirus crisis has overshadowed an epidemic that has been killing Massachusetts residents for more…
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