President Trump took office vowing to end the opioid epidemic, but four years later his track record is a dismal failure: drug overdose deaths are at a record high and little has been done to stem a national crisis that last year killed nearly 72,000 Americans. His administration has not taken steps to improve the drug treatment infrastructure, and actively supports legal efforts to strike down the Affordable Care Act and cut Medicaid funding, which together have significantly expanded coverage for substance use.
The COVID-19 pandemic has subsequently drained funds and resources and diverted public attention from the opioid crisis. If Biden is elected, however, this could all change with his comprehensive $125 billion plan over 10 years to combat the epidemic, an ambitious proposal supported by the Rosenthal Center. It calls for significantly expanding treatment, ending incarceration for low-level drug offenses, and increasing access to the best evidence-based treatments.
Meanwhile, with New Jersey voters set to approve marijuana legalization on the November ballot, New York also wants to get into what could be a booming business. The top marijuana advisor to Governor Cuomo says cannabis legislation will be introduced to the legislature in January with the goal of gaining approval by April—the priorities being social equity and economic development along with “provisions for public safety.”
And finally, even if New Jersey voters approve the constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana, the state must then work out rules and regulations to govern the new market for adult-use recreational pot. That took 4 years in Maine, and 3 years in Massachusetts, so don’t expect easy access to marijuana soon after the votes have been counted.