Overdose fatalities have been surging all year as the COVID-19 pandemic bore down on the country, and now it’s official: the CDC says that a record 81,230 Americans died last year from May 2019 to May 2020—the highest number of drug deaths ever recorded in a12-month span. Deaths increased in 46 states—and by more than 25 percent in 25 of those states. By any measure, the numbers are staggering, with fentanyl-related deaths increasing by 38 percent nationwide (and 98 percent in 10 western states). And deaths tied to cocaine use, often involving co-use with fentanyl or heroin, rising 26 percent. The CDC notes that the death rate accelerated as the pandemic disrupted daily life and led to isolation and depression and economic distress, including those with substance use disorder.
Meanwhile, Wall Street is optimistic that cannabis companies will bounce back this year as states move ahead with marijuana legalization and a Democratic-controlled Congress could mean federal-level legal changes. Pot sales exploded during the pandemic, and analysts say the uptick is likely to continue. Still, moves to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level might not muster enough votes due to the Democrats’ slim majority and opposition from President Biden.
And finally, former President Trump’s last-minute pardons and commutations included the major drug dealer Jonathan Braun, who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for running a large-scale marijuana smuggling ring. Braun is not out of the woods yet, the New York Times points out as he faces other civil and criminal investigations on unrelated matters.