As the sprawling opioid litigation draws to close promising large settlements for states, Maia Szalavitz writes in Scientific American that the windfall compensation should be used narrowly and smartly for addiction services—and not for cutting the supply of opioids. Comparing this settlement to the $246 billion tobacco agreement, in which most of the money went to state governments and not for smoking cessation programs, she says we now have an opportunity to help those struggling with substance use. Instead of focusing on prescription monitoring and other control methods, she argues, we should expand the use of medications to treat addiction and allow doctors who diagnose opioid addiction to prescribe withdrawal drugs.
Meanwhile, following the recent controversy over marijuana use at the Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency says it will launch a review of its ban on consuming pot with high levels of THC during competitions. Marijuana has been on the agency’s list of prohibited substances for decades, but the international body has come under pressure to revise the rule as marijuana legalization has gained momentum, and a top U.S. track star tested positive and was subsequently disqualified to participate in the Tokyo games. Substances are banned if they are deemed to enhance performance or pose a health risk to athletes.
And finally, the CDC has issued a warning about the dangers of consuming marijuana-infused foods that contain high levels of THC, saying they could cause “adverse effects.” It issued the alert because of the increased availability of such cannabis edibles and insufficient labeling of products with both THC and CBD, the non-psychoactive component of the drug. Edibles are among the fastest-growing cannabis categories, but manufacturers have come under criticism for how they package and market such products.