Drug overdose deaths reached a record high with more than 100,000 American fatalities in the yearlong period ending in April—a 30 percent increase over the same period last year. The rise in deaths was fueled by both the loss of access to drug treatment during the pandemic, and the widespread use of potent street drugs such as fentanyl, which is 100 times more powerful than morphine, and now more widely available than ever before to increase the potency of counterfeit pills. Overdose deaths related to stimulants like methamphetamines and cocaine as well as prescription pain medication also increased. President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act includes $1.5 billion for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders, but that is an inadequate response given the magnitude of the public health emergency.
Meanwhile, nationwide opioid litigation moves into a new phase with the opening in Seattle of the trial against the three large drug distributors in the U.S. for their alleged role in the opioid epidemic. Prosecutors in Washington State accuses the companies—McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen—of failing to monitor and prevent illegitimate sales and distribution of prescription painkillers that have contributed to the opioid crisis, and more than 93,000 overdose deaths just last year. The trial, in which the state is seeking up to more than $95 billion in compensation, follows lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and pharmacy chains for their part in the epidemic. Some of the nearly 5,000 cases brought by state and federal authorities against the opioid industry have been settled and others are in trial, with a so-called master settlement proving elusive. In a previous development, judges in both California and Oklahoma have struck down a major argument against the industry—that their actions constituted a “public nuisance”—placing in doubt the outcome of all the opioid lawsuits.
And finally, not many people may have noticed it but slipped into the $12 trillion infrastructure bill signed this week by President Biden are several new funding streams for marijuana research. One allows scientists to study weed sold in dispensaries that consumers are actually buying, rather than being limited to pot grown in government-run facilities, which has been the norm. This will give researchers better insights into the high-potency pot sold in legal marijuana states, and its impact on consumers. Equally important, money will be available to law enforcement and others to establish education and prevention programs to reduce drug-impaired driving in states where the drug is legal. It also funds the training of “drug recognition experts” to help police identify drivers under the influence, as well as DWI-drug courts that offer individuals a choice between jail time and substance use treatment.