President Biden is turning his attention drug policy, appointing Regina LaBelle as acting head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, ONDCP, which coordinates the federal response to addiction policy. LaBelle, a former chief of staff at ONDCP in the Obama administration, will be in charge as the search for a permanent chief of the agency continues. Among the names mentioned for the position are former Rep. Patrick Kennedy; Rahul Gupta, chief medical officer of the March of Dimes, and former president of the American Medical Association, Patrice Harris. Still no word yet on whether Biden will reinstate the drug czar to a cabinet-level position, giving it more prominence and clout.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has revealed more details of his proposed marijuana legalization plan, which includes a community opt-out provision that is supported by the Rosenthal Center. Under the proposal for local control, individual municipalities with populations of 100,000 or more will have the option to say no to marijuana businesses. The proposed bill also rules out licenses for home delivery services and on-site consumption at dispensaries.
And finally, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed a law establishing a state trust fund to administer any monies received from opioid litigation settlements. The funds would be used to mitigate the impacts of the opioid epidemic and expand access to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention and recovery options. Settlement talks are continuing in thousands of lawsuits brought against the opioid industry, drug distributors and pharmacy chains for their role in the opioid crisis.