The long legal battle to open a controversial safe injection site in Philadelphia is facing yet another setback after a federal appeals court ruled that such a facility would be illegal. Supporters of the project had won a lower court ruling allowing the project to go ahead, but had also faced resistance from local residents who didn’t want the facility in their neighborhood. This would have been the first safe site in the United States, providing a place for drug users to shoot up in a supervised setting. Other cities are also considering opening safe sites as the rate of drug overdose soars, although such facilities are mainly aimed at harm reduction rather than engaging patients in treatment.
Meanwhile, STAT reports on a possible breakthrough to find the first treatment for methamphetamine use disorder, a very serious illness with often-fatal consequences. A new study finds that a combination of two existing drugs—including opioid medication Vivitrol and a smoking cessation antidepressant—shows promise to help people cut use. Nearly 20,000 deaths were attributable to meth in the 12-month period ending June 2020, up from 6,7000 in 2016.
And finally, the density of marijuana shops in a specific area leads to higher consumption of cannabis by young people, a RAND survey has concluded. Looking at young adults in Los Angeles County a year before legalization and then afterwards, the study shows that the presence of more shops within a 4 mile area was associated with heavier use and more symptoms of cannabis use disorder. Such data should be considered by states as they legalize marijuana and establish regulations to control the market and safeguard public health.