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Then there’s the close-knit nature of the tribe. That can be a huge help to doctors — the medical staff knows exactly which neighbors or relatives to call to track down a patient who hasn’t shown up for his Suboxone strips. But the strong connections binding the community can also drag down individuals trying to overcome addiction. It’s hard to break habits when you’re surrounded by so many friends with the same cravings for opioids. The rate of drug-related deaths among American Indian and Alaska Native people has almost quadrupled since 1999, according to the Indian Health Service. It’s now double the rate in the US as a whole. Oklahoma — home to the 120,000 citizens of Cherokee Nation — leads the country in prescription painkiller abuse. (Thielking, 12/15)

Two years after it was approved by California voters, Prop 47 has scaled back mass incarceration of drug addicts, but successful reform is woefully incomplete. Proponents celebrate how the law freed at least 13,500 inmates from harsh sentences in crowded prisons and jails, but Prop 47 has done little to help these people restart their lives. Instead, the unprecedented release of inmates has exposed the limits of California’s neglected social service programs: Thousands of addicts and mentally ill people have traded a life behind bars for a churning cycle of homelessness, substance abuse and petty crime. Prop 47 earmarked millions saved in prison costs for inmate rehabilitation, but not a penny has been spent. Meanwhile, the state’s shortage of treatment programs is more glaring than ever. (Castellano, Kelman, Hwang, Carlson, Wu and Espino, 12/14)

“Help is on the way,” U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, said after visiting the Farnum Center in Manchester to discuss federal efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. The New Hampshire delegation applauded President Barack Obama signing the 21st Century Cures Act into law this week to commit $1 billion nationwide to the public health crisis. Shaheen called the funding a good downpayment. The money will be targeted to states with higher rates of addiction. Sadly, New Hampshire is in the top tier of states based on the severity of the drug problem. (Tuohy, 12/15)

As the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County took new steps this week to fight the still-raging opiate crisis, the Columbus Foundation added support by announcing a first-of-its kind community fundraising effort to aid in the battle. (Price, 12/15)

Ohioans believe drug use is a health problem. In fact, they say it's the most urgent health problem in the state. Results of an Ohio Health Issues Poll released today show that 21 percent of those surveyed believe drug use was it. The next biggest response was concern about health insurance, at 18 percent. (The concerns include the cost of health care, coverage gaps for those who are insured, accessibility to insurance and general worries about the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.) (DeMio, 12/15)

Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Wednesday that he will propose $31.7 million in new funds to improve the state’s mental health system and curb the increasingly dire opioid crisis. The funding includes $5.3 million in general fund dollars to boost access to opioid addiction treatment and to help prevent fatal overdoses. (Demeria, 12/14)

No sooner was the ink dry on President Obama’s signature on the 21st Century Cures Act than states, including Connecticut, started competing for new law’s $1 billion in grants to fight opioid addiction. The massive bill – which also funds Obama’s “cancer moonshot,” reforms the mental health system and expedites federal approval of certain drugs – provides $500 million this year and $500 million next year to states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic. There’s a lot of competition for that. (Radelat, 12/14)

The state Board of Medicine has revoked the license of a physician assistant, who previously was reprimanded for over-prescribing opiates. Christopher Clough, who was once one of the largest prescribers of oxycodone in the state, in August 2014 agreed to abide by certain restrictions while his case was being investigated by the board. Those restrictions included the need for him to get pre-approval of a supervisory physician before performing pain procedures. It also required a “telephonic or face-to-face consultation” between him and the physician, along with other documentation. (Grossmith, 12/15)