Substance-abuse prevention advocates are educating people about the dangers of underage drinking during this, Alcohol Awareness Month. In Iowa, that means a heavy emphasis on rural areas, where alcohol consumption is higher than it is in urban areas.
Alcohol Awareness Month is organized by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence as a way of increasing outreach and education about the dangers of alcoholism and issues related to alcohol.
The program was started in April 1987 focusing on college-aged students who might be drinking too much as they were away from home for the first time.
Jennifer Husmann, project coordinator with the Iowa Area Substance Abuse Council, said the number of alcohol-related deaths is still high - 140,000 nationwide last year alone.
"More than the number even for opioids," said Husmann. "We don't think about how dangerous alcohol really is and how many people are dying. It's enough people to fill Wrigley stadium one and a half times."
Alcohol-related deaths are up 26% over 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - in large part due to the pandemic.
In Iowa, Husmann said nearly 850 people died of alcohol-related causes in the latest count - and the council is holding workshops and town hall meetings to continue to educate people on the dangers of excessive drinking.
She said alcohol abuse remains especially serious in rural Iowa, where instances of intoxicated driving continue to climb - causing not only traffic-related fatalities but also health issues, which translate to higher taxpayer costs.
She also said state laws have made alcohol easier to get.
"We now have hard liquors, spirits available in every gas station, convenience store in Iowa," said Husmann. "It's easier to find alcohol-flavored whiskey in little tiny towns sometimes than it is to find an apple."
Husmann said various treatment programs are coming together this month to not only help people struggling with alcohol abuse, but to reduce stigma often associated with alcoholism and addiction.
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By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration
After they were long considered paraphernalia, fentanyl test strips are now officially legal in Indiana.
According to recent data, fentanyl is responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths in the state. Until this month, if someone was found with the lifesaving strips, it would be up to the local prosecutor to decide if they would face charges for violating the state's paraphernalia laws.
A bipartisan effort changed that reality by passing House Enrolled Act No. 1167.
"Any resident should and can access test strips," Director of Harm Reduction at Overdose Lifeline Breanna Hicks said. "Our former paraphernalia law said that anything that tests the 'presence, efficacy or effectiveness of a substance, an illicit substance,' could be considered paraphernalia. So, while fentanyl test strips only test for presence, that was a gray area in law in jurisdictions across Indiana."
Local harm reduction organizations say the law fueled fear for people hoping to distribute the strips. The concern prompted them to push for change.
"There's this false narrative that access to test strips are going to encourage substance use or encourage drug use, in general, especially to populations that are younger," Hicks said. "However, that's just not true, harm reduction is a proven practice that allows for individuals to make healthier and better decisions."
Hicks says the strips can be used to test drugs purchased off the street.
When the small strips are submerged in water, they can detect the synthetic drug in 30 seconds to two minutes. According to the Marion County Coroner, the drug was found in over 90% of opioid overdoses in Indianapolis last year.
"Fentanyl overdoses are now the number one cause of death for anybody age 18 to 45," Hicks said. "Indiana falls in that range as well, to where we're seeing fentanyl being the most prevalent cause of accidental overdose death."
Overdose Lifeline is one of the organizations distributing the test strips. To request strips, click here.
Kyla Russell wrote this article for WISH-TV.
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Kentucky's latest drug overdose fatality report showed a drop in deaths and for the first time, a decline in deaths among Black Kentuckians.
Groups across the Commonwealth have been working to increase access to harm reduction services.
Latosha Perry, executive director of the Louisville-based nonprofit EmpowHer with Open Arms, said her organization provides prevention services to adolescents as well as group and individual therapy for adults who are typically required to be in therapy in order to see their children.
"Some struggling with addiction or just now coming out of incarceration, they don't have the money to cover those expenses," Perry explained. "It typically decreases the rate of them reunifying with their family."
Overdose deaths in the Commonwealth decreased for the third year in a row, with a slightly more than 30% decrease in 2024, compared with the previous year. Still, more than 1,400 Kentuckians died of a drug overdose.
Ashley Smith, founder and executive director of the nonprofit agribusiness Black Soil Kentucky, said her organization has distributed Narcan units and provided training to farmers so they are equipped to act as first responders.
"We have worked to pair education outreach and technical assistance with direct produce distributions across rural and urban communities," Smith pointed out.
Both organizations received grant funding from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky for their harm reduction efforts.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, call 833-8KY-HELP (833-859-4357) to get assistance connecting with a treatment center. Information about treatment programs is available at FindHelpNowKy.org, and information about how to obtain naloxone is available at FindNaloxoneNowKy.org.
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With less than a week in the legislative session, Nevada lawmakers are considering a bill which would change the state's laws for driving under the influence.
Senate Bill 304 would eliminate the threshold of offenses for driving under the influence prosecutors need to charge someone with vehicular homicide. Current law mandates a person have three prior DUI offenses within a seven-year period before they can be charged with vehicular homicide on a fourth offense that results in death.
According to state data, half of deadly crashes on Nevada roads are caused by drunken drivers.
Sandy Heverly, cofounder and executive director of the nonprofit Stop DUI, said she believes the bill could help save lives.
"Why are we giving these people three chances to kill us?," Heverly asked. "We've reached a point where the penalty for the crime should, and must, outweigh the risks these drunken fools are willing to take."
The bill would not only allow charges on the first deadly DUI offense but the person could face more time behind bars. Some public defenders oppose the legislation, saying state law is already tough enough on people charged with DUI. They want more training for alcohol servers and providers to prevent incidents in the first place. The bill was heard in committee last week.
Alyssa Belle Yabut is the eldest daughter of Nevada State Police Trooper Alberto Felix. Felix and Nevada Highway Patrol Sergeant Michael Abbate were killed by an impaired driver while they assisted another driver in 2023. Yabut said DUIs not only take lives, they shatter families.
"Every holiday, every birthday and every ordinary day, we feel his absence," Yabut explained. "Unjustly, under the current Nevada law, that driver could not be charged with vehicular homicide because he didn't have three prior DUIs."
Yabut said she wants the bill to be a turning point for Nevada. Critics warned the bill could lead to steep financial implications for the state and perhaps significantly increase the state's prison population.
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