Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Dr. Melissa Weimer. She has worked at local, state, and national levels to improve access to evidence-based treatments for patients with substance use disorder. In addition to her role treating patients, she is an experienced educator who teaches health care students and professionals in order to increase the addiction medicine workforce. In our interview we talk about the disease model for addiction, how substance use affects neurobiology, and current medical treatments for a variety of substance use disorders. For more information on Melissa visit her profile at the Yale School of Medicine, where she is the Medical Director of the Yale Addiction Medicine Consult Service.

This interview was recorded at the end of February 2020 before COVID hit the United States. As the pandemic continues to spread tremendous resources have been rightfully allocated to fight the virus. In contrast, the stigma surrounding addiction can be seen in the ways funding is applied to treat the disease. Instead of funding treatment, resources are often driven to policing and criminalizing the individuals suffering from the disease. This war on drugs approach is not effective and has contributed to over 750,000 drug overdose deaths since 1999 in the United States alone. To find out more about medical treatments for substance use disorders visit Dr. Weimer’s profile at the Yale School of Medicine.

On today’s AMACO community cork board we have the Color Network, a group dedicated to aid in the advancement of people of color in the ceramic arts. Their aim is to assist artists develop, network, and create dialogue, while maintaining a place for resources and mentorship. For more information visit www.thecolornetwork.org or find them on IG at @thecolornetwork.

Ceramic Materials Workshop is a proud sponsor of the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler. Ceramic Materials Workshop is a place online to learn about how materials really work. They’ve been teaching about glazes at the most prestigious ceramic universities for years, and now offer online classes that are open to everyone around the world. Class sessions begin every January, April, July and October 1st, or you can try their new self-guided online workshop the Middle Glazes: The Story of Mid Temperature Glazes available now. Use the coupon code REDCLAY, all one word, for 25% off the Middle Glazes for a limited time. Find out more and sign up at www.ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com.