There’s troubling news from New York State, where governor Cuomo has notified drug and alcohol treatment providers he will immediately slash their funding by 31 percent, despite the recent surge in drug overdoses and fatalities related to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Providers—who were given no warning about the surprisingly large cuts—say the consequences are likely to be dire and further strain a mental health network already struggling to provide treatment.
Facilities could close and treatment curtailed, leading to more drug-related deaths, say the providers. The governor had said cutbacks were needed unless Washington comes through with a financial bailout package for the state.
Meanwhile, residents of Washington, D.C. will likely vote this fall on decriminalizing certain plant-based hallucinogenic substances, including psychedelic mushrooms—becoming the latest jurisdiction to take up the issue of effectively decriminalizing possession of mushrooms containing psilocybin, a psychoactive substance. Although supporters say the drug—currently illegal under state and federal law—can deliver mental-health benefits scientists caution that more research is required to determine whether hallucinogenic drugs can be addictive.
And finally, physicians at a Colorado children’s hospital report that medical marijuana use for nausea and similar symptoms was considered potentially unsafe in nearly two-thirds of oncology patients. The finding is important as more states adopt medical marijuana laws and hospitals establish treatment policies.