There is more troubling news about the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on drug addiction and overdose: the number of both fatal and nonfatal overdoses in Chicago has skyrocketed over the past five months. There have been at least 924 confirmed or suspected overdose deaths in Cook County during this time—more than twice as many compared with the same period last year. Similar spikes have been reported in many cities and states, as the lockdown has increased anxiety and stress and economic hardships, disrupted drug treatment, and made it more difficult for emergency services to reach individuals in need of medical attention.
Some of these issues are being addressed through changes in federal regulations—for example, easing delivery of medications and access to counseling via telemedicine—but more must be done even as the pandemic hopefully starts to wind down. Meanwhile, with more Americans using pot products while sheltering in place, some analysts say this will push states and the federal government to accelerate marijuana legalization. The states, for their part, need tax revenue to make up for the economic downturn, and are looking to legalization to help close budget gaps.
What they are not counting on, however, is the increased costs legalization will bring for law enforcement and healthcare as a result of wider use. And finally, some strong evidence that banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, which are targeted to young people, does in fact curtail use: Finland stopped such sales a few years ago and the rate of teen vaping has dropped dramatically. Vaping is declining among those aged 14 to 17, with under 1 percent of high school students using e-cigarettes, compared to 21 percent in the U.S., where only partial flavored vaping bans have been introduced.