Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts have warned that the corona virus—a respiratory pathogen—most likely capitalizes on the scarred lungs of smokers and vapers, increasing the ability of the virus to spread from person to person. Now, researchers are homing in on ways the virus can infiltrate the lungs and spark some of COVID’s worst symptoms. One study, for example, showed that vaping can more than double a person’s risk of severe corona virus symptoms, while young adults are five times more likely to receive a corona virus diagnosis.
Researchers are especially concerned about additives to e-cigarettes such as heavy metals and vitamin E acetate, in addition to the damage caused by vaping nicotine and THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana—all the more reason for federal authorities to accelerate the crackdown on potentially harmful and addictive vaping and e-cigarettes.
Meanwhile, voters in six states—five of which lean conservative and rural—will decide on ballot measures in November concerning marijuana legalization—sending a message from the Heartland about cannabis reform. Since Colorado legalized pot in 2014, 10 other states have done the same, but most of them are coastal and lean left. In November, states such as Alaska, Maine, Nebraska and Nevada will have their say on both recreational and medical marijuana initiatives, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which pot sales have boomed.
And finally, the Marshall Project features a story about a heroin addict who entered treatment through a drug court—only to find out that she would be denied her withdrawal medications. The results were disastrous: Within in 24 hours of release, she relapsed and subsequently landed back in jail, lost her job and resigned herself to a life of drug addiction. Drug courts can be effective to help substance abusers enter treatment—but the treatment must offer a full range of options that includes medications to reduce cravings, if warranted, as well as followup care after release.