The House passed landmark legislation decriminalizing marijuana on the federal level and expunging cannabis-related criminal convictions. Although the Democratic-proposed measure picked up five Republican votes —and six Democratic defections —it is likely doomed in the GOP-led Senate. Still, pro-legalization forces have hailed House approval as a major victory, as it’s the first of its kind to clear any chamber of Congress, and allows states to determine legality by removing cannabis from the federal register of controlled substances. Democratic lawmakers said the bill was essential to redress the disparities in drug-related incarceration that disproportionately impact communities of color; Republicans argued that legalization would harm children and endanger pubic safety, and said that now is not the time to focus on marijuana legalization.
Meanwhile, 2020 has become the worst year ever for drug overdose deaths in the nation’s capital, which recorded 282 fatalities as of August—surpassing the total for all of 2019. Officials blame the increase on the presence of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, and the isolation and despair caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But many blame the city government for not implementing a strategy to expand treatment and prevention programs.
And finally, a new study finds that nonfatal drug overdoses are on the rise among Americans younger than 15. Researchers say that overdoses between 2016 and 2019 rose 2 percent for all drugs—opioids, heroin and stimulants—in those ages 0-10, and 2.3 percent for those ages 11-14. While the data is troubling, the study says such events are still rare.