Minnesota was one of the dozens of states that pushed for a settlement in sprawling nationwide opioid litigation, and now that a massive $26 billion deal has been reached, officials are pressing for assurances that the money will go toward the intended purpose: addiction prevention and recovery programs. In an editorial, the Star Tribune newspaper notes that tens of millions of dollars will be sent to communities that have suffered the brunt of opioid overdoses, a welcome infusion of funds that can be used to expand addiction treatment programs, intervention, additional law enforcement, child protection and other expenses from the epidemic. It urges the state legislature to ensure that the money is preserved and used for its intended purpose, and not siphoned off to the general budget, as is what happened with the tobacco settlement.
Meanwhile, a new study finds that opioid deaths have soared among older adults and also indicates racial disparities, particularly among African American men. Over the past two decades, fatal overdoses in people over 55 increased from 518 in 1999 to more than 10,000 in 2019. About half the deaths were among those aged 55 to 64, and African American men were four times as likely as other men to die from opioids—and more likely to use illicit rather than prescription drugs. The researchers point to racism and ageism to try to explain the disparities, as older patients are often overlooked for opioid use disorder and Blacks have less access to health care and face bias in pain treatment.
And finally, when California legalized marijuana five years ago, the pro-pot lobby promised that teens would be shielded from increased exposure to marijuana. But guess what? The state’s powerful cannabis industry has managed to evade regulations and use loopholes in the law to target advertising to those under age 21—sometimes using cartoon characters—and plaster highways with billboards, which is clearly prohibited. The trend is troublesome because teen brains are still developing and research shows that using marijuana at an early age increases the likelihood of developing a problematic level of use. It’s up to Governor Newsom, legislators, and regulators to buck pot industry pressure that favors more and more advertising.