President Biden has promised an all-out assault on the nation’s opioid crisis, with significant resources to be allocated for harm reduction, law enforcement and significantly expanding drug treatment. But so far, says the editorial board of Bloomberg, there’s been little forthcoming from the White House. More than 500,000 Americans have died from drug overdose since 1999, and illicit illegal fentanyl is fueled a spike in fatalities last year record high of more than 80,000. As cash-strapped states cut back on resources for addiction treatment, Bloomberg urges President Biden and Congress to take action to bring the crisis under control.
Meanwhile, Mexico is set to legalize marijuana, making it the largest legal cannabis market in the world. Yet the move to legalize in Mexico is going ahead despite widespread public opposition, and doubts that the move would deter the rising level of drug cartel violence, as pro-pot groups claim.
And finally, while many states are considering curbs on marijuana products with dangerously high levels of intoxicating THC—due its impact on public health— Alaska might go in the other direction and increase the amount of the psychoactive compound allowed in edible pot. Under pressure from the cannabis industry, the state’s marijuana control board is studying doubling the amount of THC from its current level, the most restrictive in the country. Opponents in Alaska argue that the more potent pot used today has already led to an increase in calls to poison control centers and traffic crashes and fatalities.