Drug Policy

A wealth of evidence attests to the efficacy of medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence, but most Americans can’t get access. In Texas, legislators did little to address this issue in the session that ended May 27. The continued unwillingness to confront the problem means the public health crisis of substance abuse will continue, and will continue to impact not only individuals and families, but entire communities and systems of care.
Continue Reading →

The 86th Texas Legislature moved an inch — and no more — on easing some restrictions related to marijuana. However, over the last four legislative sessions, marijuana reform has moved from the fringe to the mainstream, and there have been meaningful gains, rhetorically and politically if not always substantively. If current trends continue, and I suspect they will, substantive change will eventually make its way through the Texas political process.

Continue Reading →

Despite medical advancements, there are two major barriers to advancing prevention of and treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD): the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s slow approval processes for clinical trials and new drugs, and limitations on care imposed by the health insurance industry. Continue Reading →

The Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis appointed by President Donald Trump unveiled its initial recommendations on Monday. The recommendations indicate that the commission understands the need for a public health-based response to the opioid epidemic, although… Continue Reading →

Scientific evidence should drive policy decisions, not misguided perceptions. And the evidence available clearly indicates that heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) programs could make a significant dent in U.S. deaths from opioid use. Continue Reading →

The results on Tuesday are a sign that marijuana prohibition’s days are numbered, leaving only the question of when it will end completely. Chipping away at marijuana prohibition is also crucial to ending the war on drugs, which has had devastating consequences, not least of which are the racial disparities it has created in the criminal justice system. Continue Reading →