Category: DRUGS
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Tobacco-free-school bill on life support; move afoot to make 21 legal age for e-cigs; some legislators want just one tobacco bill
Health advocates rallied at the state Capitol Feb. 28 to ask legislators to bring the tobacco-free school bill up for a vote, saying it has the votes to pass. (Photos...
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Bill to raise legal age to buy tobacco products to 21 fails on 4-6 committee vote; bill’s effectiveness questioned, called ‘PR move’
Sen. Steve Meredith, middle, with Altria Vice President David Fernandez, right, and Juul Labs lobbyist Jennifer Cunningham on his bill to raise the legal age for buying tobacco products. (Photo: Adam Beam, The Associated Press)...
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Report on Medicaid pharmacy managers confirms they make a profit at the expense of pharmacies; calls for new payment model
Sen. Max Wise has been outspoken in his criticism of pharmacy benefit managers. A “long-awaited state report” on how pharmacy benefit managers are paid seems to confirm the suspicion that...
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Gov. Matt Bevin says he would support a medical marijuana bill; prospects for that are better in the House than in the Senate
Gov. Matt Bevin greeted Lincoln County citizens before his forum in Stanford. (Photo from The Interior Journal) — Gov. Matt Bevin said he would be “happy” to sign a bill that would...
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Tobacco-free schools bill hits a snag; prospects still appear favorable, but floor leader Carney says ‘Nothing is certain’
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. — The bill to get tobacco out of all Kentucky schools has hit a snag. House Bill 11 passed unanimously out of the...
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Jump in teenagers’ use of e-cigarettes erases years of progress in reducing teen tobacco use; tobacco-free schools bill in Ky. House
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Teens’ use of electronic cigarettes is overwhelmingly responsible for erasing years of progress in reducing teen tobacco use, according to the latest annual National...
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47 Ky. counties have syringe exchange programs, but only half of the 54 at high risk of HIV and hepatitis C outbreaks have them
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky leads the nation in the number of syringe exchange programs, but passing such programs continues to require great amounts of public education and...
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Poll: Reported heroin, methamphetamine and painkiller use has increased; 44 percent of those needing treatment didn’t get it
Nearly a third of Kentucky adults reported having a family member or friend with a drug problem in the past 12 months, and just over half of those with problems...
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What state-level strategies work against the opioid epidemic?
The opioid epidemic is a major issue in every state, but not all are tackling it in the same ways. The National Academy for State Health Policy, a nonpartisan group of...
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House health panel’s new chair starts fast, with bills to ban school tobacco use, study medical marijuana and spur drug treatment
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News State Rep. Kim Moser plans a busy first meeting as chair of the House Health and Family Services Committee on Thursday, Feb. 7. She...