President-elect Joe Biden takes office vowing to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, but he has not forgotten about the “other” epidemic stalking the nation—the opioid crisis. During the campaign, he unveiled a bold $125 billion plan to combat the opioid epidemic, with a focus on expanding drug treatment and ending incarceration for drug offenses. He is also assembling a team of public health experts with deep knowledge of addiction issues. What’s more, Biden is expected to bring back the head of the White House drug office—known as the “drug czar”—into the Cabinet, giving this position added visibility. The new approach comes at crucial time in the fight against drug addition, with overdose deaths spiking across the country and treatment providers hobbled by state budget deficits and social distancing regulations.
Meanwhile, OxyContin maker Purdue Pharmaofficially pleads guilty to criminal and civil charges related to its marketing of the highly addictive prescription painkiller, clearing the way for a $8.3 billion settlement with the Justice Department for the firm’s role in fueling the opioid epidemic. But because it is bankrupt, Purdue will only pay a fraction of that settlement, depriving victims of any rightful compensation for their suffering in what can only be described as a travesty of justice.
And finally, New Jersey residents who are eager to indulge in legal recreational marijuana after the state approved legalization last month will have to wait a bit longer. Attempts to finalize a decriminalization bill were derailed by a proposed amendment to include psychedelic mushrooms into the mix of legal drugs. Perhaps legislators are taking a cue from Oregon, where voters last month approved the use of psilocybin and other psychedelics for use in mental health treatment—a move opposed by psychiatrists who said there is not enough scientific evidence to warrant sanctioning its use for mental health conditions.