美国国家公共电台 NPR--California debates whether teens can get drug treatment without parental consent

California debates whether teens can get drug treatment without parental¹ consent

Transcript²

As the number of teens using opioids goes up, California debates whether they should have access to drug treatment without parental consent.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Fentanyl is behind 1 in 5 deaths among youths in California. There are many barriers to treatment for opioid addiction³, but some kids can't get help because they need parental consent. A bill making its way through the state legislature could change that. It's passed the assembly and is now before the state Senate. Here's Lesley McClurg from member station KQED.

CHARLOTTE BLUE: All right. Come on stage. Hey, guys.

LESLEY MCCLURG, BYLINE⁴: Most afternoons, Charlotte Blue (ph) teaches preschool in San Jose.

BLUE: I won't peek⁵. I promise.

MCCLURG: She's grateful to have her life back on track. A few years ago, when she was 18 years old...

BLUE: I had a plan one day to try to commit suicide, and my plan was to use fentanyl to do it.

MCCLURG: Her home life was in shambles⁶. She was addicted⁷ to heroin⁸ and crystal meth. That night, she smoked fentanyl for the first time. She overdosed. Her friends had to use three doses of Narcan to revive her. And that was just the beginning of her spiral into fentanyl addiction. Every time she tried to quit...

BLUE: I was itching⁹. I had cold sweats. I was throwing up constantly. Every few days I would just give up and smoke again because I couldn't handle the feeling of the withdrawals¹¹.

MCCLURG: Eventually, she had enough.

BLUE: I lost my car. I lost my friends. I kind of lost touch with myself.

MCCLURG: A county drug counselor¹² helped Blue enroll¹³ in a new treatment program for youth.

BLUE: They were there for me when no one else was. They helped me get on Suboxone to get off of the drugs and help with the withdrawals.

MCCLURG: Suboxone is the brand name of buprenorphine. It comes as a pill or a film that dissolves under your tongue, and it binds¹⁴ to the opioid receptors in your brain, but it doesn't activate¹⁵ them all the way. So it doesn't get you high, but it does prevent withdrawal¹⁰ symptoms. Dr. Lee Trope is a pediatrician in San Jose.

LEE TROPE: We've been shocked by how many teens and young adults in the community have come to us sort of desperate for help. Some of them are using every two to three hours, like, 10 fentanyl pills a day.

MCCLURG: Fentanyl is 50 times more potent¹⁶ than heroin. Suboxone is approved for addiction treatment for youth over 16, but Trope says she often can't prescribe it to many of the adolescents who need it.

TROPE: It's not uncommon¹⁷ that they're living on the street. Many of them are living with grandparents or aunts or uncles because their guardians¹⁸ are in the grips of addiction themselves.

MCCLURG: California requires youth to be 18 to take Suboxone without parental consent. A new state bill could change that, but it's facing some opposition¹⁹ because it would allow minors²⁰ to access Suboxone at 16 without Mom or Dad.

BILL ESSAYLI: I'm not personally comfortable just letting minors on their own at 16 years go to a doctor and get this type of medication.

MCCLURG: Bill Essayli is a Republican state legislator. He worries the proposed bill will encourage kids to hide their addiction from parents.

ESSAYLI: It's too sweeping²¹. It's too broad, and it covers a bigger class of people and minors than the bill is intended to target.

MCCLURG: He would rather see much narrower legislation limited to kids who are estranged²² from their parents and focused on social services. Back in San Jose at Charlotte Blue's preschool...

UNIDENTIFIED PRESCHOOLER #1: I like Ms. Charlotte.

UNIDENTIFIED PRESCHOOLER #2: She's a good teacher.

MCCLURG: She's not sure she would be here today if she had needed her parents' permission when she started Suboxone at 18.

BLUE: My parents were very against it, actually. They thought that it was an easy way out. They still believed that it was a drug to make me high.

MCCLURG: She tried to explain that Suboxone doesn't make you feel euphoric, but they didn't believe her.

BLUE: No, that's my leg.

MCCLURG: She's grateful she didn't need their buy-in.

BLUE: Aw, you guys are so sweet.

MCCLURG: When she's not with the kids, Blue is in community college studying dental hygiene²³. For NPR News, I'm Lesley McClurg in San Jose.

MART?NEZ: If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

1 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 peek   

vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥

参考例句：

• Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
• Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛，别偷看。

6 shambles   

n.混乱之处；废墟

参考例句：

• My room is a shambles.我房间里乱七八糟。
• The fighting reduced the city to a shambles.这场战斗使这座城市成了一片废墟。

7 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

8 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

9 itching   

adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The itching was almost more than he could stand. 他痒得几乎忍不住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My nose is itching. 我的鼻子发痒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

11 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

12 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

13 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

14 binds   

v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 )；装订；捆绑；（用长布条）缠绕

参考例句：

• Frost binds the soil. 霜使土壤凝结。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Stones and cement binds strongly. 石头和水泥凝固得很牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

16 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

17 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

18 guardians   

监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者

参考例句：

• Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
• The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。

19 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

20 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

22 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

23 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。