|
Top headlines
Lead story
A record-high 109,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2022. Some of the country’s largest open-air drug markets can be found in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. The city has a plan to deal with the crisis, but the city council recently passed legislation – over the mayor’s veto – to ban supervised injection sites. In this, Philly is not an outlier. Only New York has allowed the establishment of places where drug users can come off the street and use drugs under the watchful view of medical professionals.
Since evidence of the effects of such sites in the U.S. is scant, a group of researchers from Drexel University and the University of Oslo looked to Europe to evaluate how they affect overdose deaths, community life and even property values.
Also, The Conversation U.S. team has been meeting this week in Boston to see colleagues face-to-face and plan for the year ahead. Since we won’t be editing as many stories as usual, we’ve included a selection from “The Conversation on Guns,” the latest in our Critical Conversations line of books published in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University Press. We also have books on “Gender Diversity”, “Water” and “Biotechnology”, with more on the way.
|
A registered nurse treats Dominic Rodriguez for a skin injury related to xylazine use in Philadelphia in May 2023. Treatment vans are allowed in the city, but not supervised injection sites.
Matt Rourke/AP Photo
Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University; Jannet van der Veen, Drexel University; Synøve Nygaard Andersen, University of Oslo; Tony Joakim Ananiassen Sandset, University of Oslo
A group of academics look at the global evidence to examine the potential impact of supervised injection sites in Philadelphia and the US.
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Charles R. Hunt, Boise State University
In the 1850s, a fight over the speakership took nearly two months and 133 rounds of voting. But for nearly a century, the majority party in the House has unanimously supported its leader. No longer.
-
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University
A decade of de-escalation among Gulf states could be at risk if Israel-Hamas violence spills across region. And that could threaten Saudi plans to transform the kingdom.
|
|
Health + Medicine
|
-
Nicole Lynch, Purdue University; Shannon Pickett, Purdue University
Half a million new mothers in the US suffer from postpartum depression every year, yet a lack of awareness and stigma toward the condition keep many from getting the help they need.
|
|
Education
|
-
Mary L. Churchill, Boston University
More high school students are taking college courses while still in high school. But equity gaps exist, with Black and Hispanic students participating at lower rates.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Carlos D. Garcia, Clemson University; Lucas de Brito Ayres, Clemson University
Pantry food can go bad if exposed to oxygen, but an AI model might help develop more effective preservatives and keep food fresher for longer.
|
|
