Anti-Smoking Group 'Truth Initiative' Takes Aim at Opioid Epidemic
*By Christian Smith*
When the anti-substance abuse platform "Truth Initiative" began in 2000, the smoking rate for teens was 23 percent ー almost two decades later, it stands at 5 percent.
And now, after major inroads with young smokers, the organization is shifting its efforts to another pressing danger facing teens, according to its managing director.
"Opioid dependence can happen in just five days," Mary Dominguez said Monday in an interview on Cheddar.
Truth Initiative recently launched the second phase of its "The Truth About Opioids" campaign, aimed at preventing opioid addiction among teens and young adults.
The organization released a new video that shows a 26-year-old's real-life experience as she undergoes opioid addiction treatment and experiences withdrawal.
Dominguez said the video, however jarring, is meant to highlight that opioid addiction can happen to anyone.
"A lot of people might go to the doctor and get a 30-day prescription for it and not know what could happen to them, and what that could lead to," she said.
In 2016, 2.5 million young adults ages 18 to 25 reported misusing an opioid in the past year, according to statistics from Truth Initiative.
Dominguez said her organization hopes to replicate its success with curbing teen smoking.
"We felt like we owed it to our audience to talk about \[opioid addiction\] with them and to let them know what the facts are about it."
Truth Initiative collaborated with Ad Council and the Office of National Drug Control Policy to create The Truth About Opioids campaign, which has received prime advertising space, thanks to partnerships with major companies like Google ($GOOGL) and NBCUniversal.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/truth-initiative-launches-new-campaign-to-prevent-opioid-addiction).
Amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, major businesses from BP to Big Tech like Apple have been pausing their business dealings with the invading nation. Brian Walker, chief strategy officer at commerce software company Bloomreach, joined Cheddar News to discuss how some companies are showing support for Ukraine and what this could mean for consumers. "Whether it be impacts on energy or operational costs, shipping and logistics, or frankly impacts on the financial services industry, these will have long term implications on retail prices," he said.
About 678,000 jobs were created in February, hundreds of thousands more than predicted, according to the latest Labor Department report, showing a broad economic recovery despite inflation woes. Heather Boushey, member of the Council of Economic Advisers for President Biden, joined Cheddar News to talk about the employment figures. "This really shows that the economy is now more resilient because of the tools that we have in place," Boushey said. "So I'm optimistic that we'll be able to weather future storms."
Ramit Varma, Independent candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, joins Cheddar News to discuss the race and how he plans to tackle critical issues in the California city.
Tyler Pager, White House reporter at the Washington Post, and Reecie Colbert, founder of BlackWomenViews Media, join Cheddar Politics to discuss President Biden's Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. They break down how her nomination came to be and what comes next in her confirmation process.
Joel Rubin, former deputy assistant at Secretary of State & president of the Washington Strategy Group, joins Cheddar News to break down the latest between Russia and Ukraine.
Nicole Goodkind, business and politics reporter at Fortune Magazine, joins Cheddar Politics to break down President Biden's first State of the Union address.
Londoners are facing travel chaos after around 10,000 transport workers walked off their jobs for the second day this week, leaving almost all of the capital’s subway lines suspended or severely disrupted.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney joined Cheddar News after President Biden's State of the Union address to give her reaction and talk about the situation in Ukraine.
UN and Ukrainian officials say no radiation was released from a Russian attack at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant in Ukraine and firefighters have extinguished a blaze at the facility..
Liz Landers Chief Political Correspondent at Vice News, breaks down the President's address including his stance on the Russian invasion and spotlights historic moments during his speech.
