One month into his presidency, President Biden has yet to directly address the drug crisis as the COVID-19 pandemic rightly takes center stage. But that hasn’t stopped the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy from outlining the administration’s drug policy priorities. In twitter messages, ONDCP said President Biden would pursue responses “rooted in science and evidence to bend the curve” of the epidemic, with a focus on treatment, prevention, harm reduction, expanding the addiction workforce and reducing the supply of substances. “With more than 200 overdoses a day, there’s no time to waste,” ONDCP concluded. Biden has also been slow to appoint a new chief of the Food and Drug Administration, a sprawling nearly $6 billion agency that oversees everything from prescription drugs to tobacco products and e-cigarettes. Holding up an appointment is growing pushback against one top candidate, Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting commissioner who ran an FDA department that authorizes medications. The FDA has been criticized for inadequate handling of opioid drug approvals and monitoring that many say contributed to the opioid epidemic.
And finally, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed the law enacting marijuana legalization after a stalemate over provisions for underage use led to a months-long delay. Originally, low-level use and possession by anyone under 21 would have been subject to criminal penalties, fines and mandatory treatment; after protests, this was watered down to a 3-tier “warning system” that includes notifying parents and referral to community services.