Year in Review 2021
The U.S. is facing an escalating addiction and overdose crisis that has reached unprecedented levels. After a record 100,000 Americans died from drug overdose—mostly opioid-related—over the 12-month period ending in April 2021, nearly 300 people continue to be lost each day across the country—and in New York City alone, there is one fatality every four hours. At the same time, the opioid epidemic has morphed into a wider addiction crisis, as users turned to a mix of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, among other drugs, increasing the potential for overdose. Amid these worsening public health challenges, more and more states are ignoring the growing body of evidence that shows the potential risks of marijuana and legalize the drug, thereby endangering vulnerable populations. As these public health threats continue to multiply, and are overshadowed by COVID disruptions, governments are failing to provide leadership, new strategies or appropriate funding to help the crisis.
Throughout 2021, we leveraged the Rosenthal Center’s growing reach on print and social media channels to address these and other critical issues through incisive commentary and concrete policy recommendations. As always, we sought to inform policymakers, addiction professionals and the public alike about urgent drug and addiction issues—and to offer viable solutions. Here are a few highlights:
Fighting Fentanyl
The fentanyl surge added a more dangerous element to the ongoing opioid epidemic, with the drug being sold openly on the street and made into counterfeit pills that look like prescription medications such as Xanax and oxycodone. Unaware that their pills had been tainted, many users died quickly with little or no chance of overdose reversal. I called for both a nationwide education program to inform the public of the risks of fentanyl and stronger interdiction measures to stop its flow from Mexican drug cartels and Chinese dealers found on the “dark web.”
Addressing Addiction and Overdose
Efforts by the Biden administration to confront addiction and overdose have fallen woefully short: After promising $125 billion over the next decade, it has thus far only delivered $1.5 billion in additional spending. We continued to urge government leaders to significantly increase funding to expand access to treatment to all those who need it, as only a fraction of individuals struggling with addiction receive such services. I also voiced concern about harm reduction programs—including the nation’s first safe injection sites that have opened in New York City—that do not facilitate a direct pathway to comprehensive treatment.
Containing Cannabis
Facing the stark reality that marijuana legalization is unstoppable—with 18 states plus the District of Columbia now allowing it, and more states sure to follow suit in 2022—the battle has moved to regulating and controlling this new market in order to protect vulnerable populations, including youth and those who are pregnant. In particular, we continued to support the rights of municipalities to opt out of allowing cannabis commerce, place limits on THC (the potent psychoactive component of marijuana) levels, and enforce bans on sales to underage users.
Criminal Justice Reform
Recognizing that U.S. prisons are woefully lacking in addiction services, and incarcerated individuals comprise the single largest group of opioid addicts in the country, we are seeking partners and funding to start a peer-counseling program that provides both on-site addiction recovery-support to inmates as well as post-release services. As the nation still grapples with criminal-justice inequities as well as widespread drug use among the incarcerated, I believe this is an important and timely new project for the Rosenthal Center.
It was a difficult and challenging year. But I am encouraged by a growing awareness—in the media and among government leaders, including New York’s new governor Kathy Hochul—that we can no longer ignore the addiction and overdose crises. I’m cautiously optimistic that we can do much better in 2022.
