In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, federal officials eased access to drug treatment by allowing telehealth and telemedicine practices that were previously banned, and allowing Medicare and Medicaid to pay for such services. As a result, treatment providers could retain and attract new patients, at a time when social distancing and other restrictions curbed access. Now, with the advent of a corona virus vaccine, providers are pushing for these changes to be made permanent as part of a wider effort to expand treatment opportunities. For too long, the providers say, addiction treatment has been difficult to find, with only 1 in 10 individuals with a drug use disorder receiving specialty treatment. As the Rosenthal Center has found, telehealth is not a panacea for all patients, but it is a promising new tool in the drug treatment arsenal.
Meanwhile, critics of the $8.3 billion legal settlement between Purdue Pharma and the Justice Department say they want criminal charges brought against the firm’s founding Sackler family, for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The settlement didn’t include criminal charges against the Sacklers, nor did they admit wrongdoing, and they were required to pay only $225 million to settle civil claims—a small fraction of their wealth generated from sales of Purdue’s highly addictive opioid OxyContin.
And finally, the Democratic-controlled House is expected to pass a bill removing marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances, the first time either chamber of Congress has voted on the matter. While the bill is likely to be killed in the GOP-led Senate, it marks a watershed in public and political acceptance of cannabis reform, and comes a month after four additional states approved legalization of adult-use marijuana. The bill also calls for expunging marijuana criminal records and letting states set up rules and regulations to govern the cannabis market. As legalization moves ahead, it is critical for the states to focus on ensuring public health and safety—and protecting vulnerable populations and communities.