A hard-hitting Washington Post editorial addresses the other public health crisis—the opioid epidemic—that the paper says has been neglected during the coronavirus pandemic but requires urgent attention. Noting that the pandemic has exacerbated the opioid crisis—diverting medical personnel and hospital beds, and causing joblessness and economic stress—the paper calls on both Trump and Biden to address the issue in the remaining weeks of the campaign. It points out that Trump has done little to impact the epidemic, while Biden has a comprehensive $125 billion plan—supported by the Rosenthal Center—that you don’t hear much about.
Meanwhile, Biden did in fact talk about drug policy for a few minutes during last week’s town hall. Discussing criminal justice reform, he said that marijuana should be decriminalized, and called for ending incarceration for low-level drug offenses.Instead of putting people in jail, Biden rightly calls for “mandatory rehabilitation” for drug users and expanding access to treatment.
And finally, If New Jersey voters approve adult-use marijuana legalization in November, as polls suggest they will, it could have a domino effect on neighboring states including New York and Pennsylvania, which currently only allow medical marijuana. One cannabis advocacy group even says it might set off an “arms race” along the East Coast, as other states try to keep pace with New Jersey, which is expecting a windfall in tax revenue and job creation. Total cannabis sales in the U.S. this year are projected to reach $15.8 billion, and recently legalized states such as Illinois have reported record sales. What nobody talks about, however, are the potential public health consequences of legalization—especially for vulnerable groups such as young people—and the increased costs of healthcare associated with easier access to the drug.