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
Understood in its regional context, it is clear that Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s policy is a continuation rather than a departure from Southeast Asian drug policy, suggesting that for many Filipinos, this latest drug war may not seem unusual and may even be welcome as a necessary step to tackle drug use in the country. Continue Reading
The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it will release about 6,000 inmates from federal prison between October 30 and November 2. The move is the result of a decision by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, an independent agency that sets federal… Continue Reading
The White House’s new initiative to address the growth in heroin use in the U.S. will allocate $2.5 million in funding to increase the role of public health officials in government response efforts and improve communications between public health and public safety officers in pinpointing the source of the heroin and hot spots for drug overdoses. Continue Reading
Lately, the drug policy landscape has been awash with calls for decriminalization (mostly for marijuana) and expanded drug rehabilitation. The treatment conversation has grown louder as increases in prescription opioid and heroin overuse and overdose deaths have made national headlines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that from 2010 to 2012 the heroin overdose rate doubled in 28 states. Less publicized was the finding that prescription opioids accounted for twice as many overdose deaths as heroin during that time. Continue Reading