October 5, 2017
LOS ANGELES – About 300 people packed the basement auditorium of the Service Employees International Union building in Koreatown on Thursday to support a resolution that named L.A. a “city of sanctuary.”
Josh DuBose
journalist | freelance writer | author
Category Archives: Government
Did Congress Collude with big Pharma to Keep Americans Addicted to Prescription Painkillers?
October 25, 2017
The Trump Administration declared the crisis of opioid and heroin overdoses a national emergency in August this year. As it turns out, though, identifying an emergency doesn’t necessarily mean the government is quick to take any action.
Advances in Harm Reduction: Fentanyl Test Strips Might Prevent Heroin Overdoses
written for Inspire Malibu
As the nation comes t
o recognize drug abuse and addiction as a public health issue rather than a moral failing or lack of character that far too many people are incarcerated for, harm reduction strategies have leapt to the forefront. These tactics are taking on new forms and making advances that save lives.
Pass the Talking Stick and Listen Closely: Restorative Justice in Los Angeles Unified Schools
By Josh DuBose
September 19, 2017
photo by navymailman
LOS ANGELES – “Restorative justice is a philosophy and a way of being in a school community,” says Deborah Brandy, director of district operations for Los Angeles Unified School District. In many ways, LAUSD, the largest district in California and the second largest in the country – behind the New York City school system – is leading the charge to change the way public schools approach discipline in the K-12 educational system.
Opioid Crisis: Rx’s are down but use hasn’t declined
written for Inspire Malibu
August 2, 2017
There’s good news and bad news. The number of prescriptions for opioid painkillers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is in decline. Since 2010, the peak of opioid prescriptions, the agency tracked a 41 percent decrease. However, the analysis also revealed the prescribing rate is still three times higher than in 1999, near the beginning of America’s opioid crisis.
Steadfast Devotion: Trump and the Politics of Evangelicals
White Evangelical Christians overwhelmingly backed President Donald J. Trump in the recent election and, at least for now, are standing their ground.
The most recent presidential approval tables, published by the Pew Research Center in April, show 63 percent of white Evangelicals “approve strongly ” of the job Trump’s done so far compared to only 11 percent who “disapprove strongly.” Pew has the president’s overall approval rating at 39 percent.
Gray Death: The Latest and Deadliest of Heroin Cocktails
written for Inspire Malibu
The crisis of opioid addiction in the United States is an ever-evolving tragedy. Healthcare professionals, state and federal legislatures and law enforcement have, so far, been unable to stop or contain the spread of opioids and heroin spiked with even more powerful and deadly drugs. In fact, it has become increasingly difficult for scientists to keep pace with new heroin cocktails.
Will California’s AB 186 Create Safe Spaces to use Heroin and other Opioids?
written for Inspire Malibu
April 25, 2017
LOS ANGELES – Like other states in the U.S., California has seen a spike in overdoses as a result of heroin and prescription painkillers. While the news cycle appears to have moved away from the country’s opioid epidemic, the problem persists. In 2015, an estimated 33,000 people fatally overdosed on heroin or opioid medication, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Post-Truth and the Politics of Evangelicals: A Discussion with Christopher Stroop, Ph.D., an Ex-Evangelical Christian and Modern Russian Historian
March 24, 2017
Tumultuous, as a description for the first two months of Donald Trump’s Administration, falls short. Terms like missteps, chaos and, as of late, collusion are now ubiquitous in the mainstream press, but they’ve become small explosions drowned out by the roaring inferno that’s engulfed American politics.
Criminalizing Overdoses: A bad Idea Laced with Good Intentions
Written for Inspire Malibu
March 21, 2017
Nestled between Columbus and Cincinnati, Washington Court House, Ohio, a town with little more than 14,000 residents at last count, is now charging drug overdose survivors with “inducing panic.” The misdemeanor, which can result in a $1,000 fine and up to 180 days in jail, is levied immediately after first responders save a victim’s life, in most cases, with naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.