The danger of increased methamphetamine use is back in the spotlight as a group of bipartisan congressional lawmakers introduces a bill to declare meth an emerging drug threat—and to direct the Office of Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to establish a comprehensive program to prevent addiction and overdose death. The bill recognizes that meth has returned as a national drug crisis, with overdose deaths spiking 42 percent in a single year and the largest seizures on record of the drug. The bill comes as pressure is building for the Biden administration to take action on a number of drug crises—including the opioid epidemic—which have so far not been a top priority.
Meanwhile, a report in the Los Angeles Times busts another myth about marijuana legalization in California—that it will promote social equity, and help those hit hardest by the war on drugs. The program was first praised as a kind of reparation for failed drug policies, but many would-be entrepreneurs complain that the sluggish rollout of the program is actually hurting those it was meant to help.
And finally, congressional lawmakers have tabled a bill that would ensure the Sackler family, who control the opioid maker Purdue Pharma, would not be immune from prosecution in nationwide opioid lawsuits. If Purdue’s current bankruptcy plan were approved by the court family members would receive immunity from the nearly 3,000 lawsuits filed by states, counties, cities and tribes seeking compensation for the costs of the opioid crisis. The company is accused of downplaying addiction risks of its best-selling opioid painkiller OxyContin and encouraging overprescribing, which has contributed to the deaths of more than 500,000 Americans over the past two decades.