Category: addiction
-
Landmark settlement could create new protections for harm reduction under disability law
Landmark settlement could create new protections for harm reduction under disability law A Christian group in Washington state on Tuesday announced a potentially landmark legal settlement that could establish new legal protections for harm reduction services for people experiencing drug addiction, including syringe exchange, under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA has previously been…
-
To fix ‘spiritual malaise’ behind addiction, Kennedy announces efforts on homelessness and recovery
To fix ‘spiritual malaise’ behind addiction, Kennedy announces efforts on homelessness and recovery Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday lamented a nationwide “spiritual malaise” as he unveiled new plans to tackle the nation’s addiction and substance use epidemic, casting the initiative as a game-changing effort to align government and recovery organizations. The announcement…
-
U.S. overdose deaths fell through most of 2025, federal data reveals
U.S. overdose deaths fell through most of 2025, federal data reveals NEW YORK — U.S. overdose deaths fell through most of last year, suggesting a lasting improvement in an epidemic that had been worsening for decades. Federal data released Wednesday showed that overdose deaths have been falling for more than two years — the longest drop in…
-
Trump administration cuts up to $1.9 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programs
Trump administration cuts up to $1.9 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programs The federal agency that oversees mental health and addiction treatment on Tuesday made major cuts to programs across the behavioral health field, according to eight sources with knowledge of the decisions. While the exact funding cuts enacted by the Substance Abuse…
-
Decrease in drug deaths stems from ‘shock’ to fentanyl supply, new research suggests
Decrease in drug deaths stems from ‘shock’ to fentanyl supply, new research suggests The significant, recent decline in U.S. drug overdose deaths was driven in large part by a sudden shift in North America’s illicit drug supply in 2023, according to a new academic analysis. The drop in deaths likely stems from a decrease in…
-
Opinion: Why I’m skipping Dry January
Opinion: Why I’m skipping Dry January Like many of my friends, I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a beer with friends. But a recent U.S. surgeon general report warning that any alcohol consumption is unsafe made me pause. Should I embrace “Dry January,” or even quit altogether? Recently, at least eight respected medical societies…
-
3 drug policy questions to watch in 2026
3 drug policy questions to watch in 2026 Drug policy was largely a backburner issue in 2025. Despite the ambitions of some moderate or right-leaning activists, and an apparent passion for the issue from health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., substance use and addiction issues have made few headlines in the past year. Read the…
-
Facing federal hostility, supervised consumption site points to 1,900 overdose reversals
Facing federal hostility, supervised consumption site points to 1,900 overdose reversals OnPoint NYC, the nonprofit that was the first in the nation to openly offer supervised drug consumption services, celebrated its fourth anniversary Thursday by trumpeting its positive community impact, making its case triumphantly and with a touch of defiance following nearly a year of…
-
Trump’s marijuana reclassification could boost research, broaden access
Trump’s marijuana reclassification could boost research, broaden access President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing the federal government to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance, marking a major milestone in American drug policy and choosing sides in the debate between advocates for more research and drug policy hawks. Under the new classification,…
-
Experts assess Trump’s declaration of fentanyl as weapon of mass destruction
Experts assess Trump’s declaration of fentanyl as weapon of mass destruction There is no doubt that, in the wrong circumstances, fentanyl can be an agent of mass destruction. In the last decade, the ultra-potent synthetic opioid has caused hundreds of thousands of Americans to die by overdose, shattering families, shortening life expectancy, and destabilizing the…
-
STAT+: Acting head of beleaguered mental health agency to depart this week
STAT+: Acting head of beleaguered mental health agency to depart this week Art Kleinschmidt, the official serving as the de facto head of the federal agency overseeing mental health and addiction treatment, is leaving his post on Friday, according to an email reviewed by STAT. Kleinschmidt has led the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services…
-
Judge approves opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma and Sackler family members who own the company
Judge approves opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma and Sackler family members who own the company A federal bankruptcy court judge on Tuesday formally approved OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harms of opioids. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane gave reasoning Tuesday for approving the plan, which requires members of the Sackler…
-
Judge says he’ll approve opioid settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue and Sackler family
Judge says he’ll approve opioid settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue and Sackler family NEW YORK — A federal bankruptcy court judge on Friday said he will approve OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma’s latest deal to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids that includes some money for thousands of victims of the epidemic. The deal…
-
Covid-era rules for addiction medication, Ritalin are extended again
Covid-era rules for addiction medication, Ritalin are extended again The Trump administration appears poised to extend a temporary, Covid-era rule allowing health providers to prescribe certain controlled substances, like ADHD medications and treatments for opioid addiction, via telemedicine. Under the current rules, providers can initiate prescriptions for drugs like Ritalin or Adderall for ADHD, or…
-
STAT+: Francis Collins issues call to action at Liver Meeting
STAT+: Francis Collins issues call to action at Liver Meeting Francis Collins, the former NIH director, tells liver researcher that the partisanship that has pervaded science “is really a dangerous sign for the future of our society.” Isabella Cueto and Katherine MacPhail Go to statnews
-
More people with psychosis are using cannabis. Medical professionals are worried
More people with psychosis are using cannabis. Medical professionals are worried Cannabis use rates among people with psychosis have surged in states that have legalized the drug, according to a new study. Medical professionals say the trend — especially when combined with more potent variants of the drug available on the market — could worsen…
-
FDA to stress opioids’ risk of overdose, death in new medication safety labels
FDA to stress opioids’ risk of overdose, death in new medication safety labels The Food and Drug Administration will soon require prescription opioid manufacturers to include stronger language on the medications’ labels warning that higher doses and longer-term use carry risks including overdose and death. The action, announced Thursday, comes nearly three months after a…
-
Tobacco use, binge drinking decrease as Americans consume more marijuana, survey finds
Tobacco use, binge drinking decrease as Americans consume more marijuana, survey finds Americans are binge drinking and smoking tobacco less but consuming marijuana significantly more, according to a new federal survey on drug use and mental health. Overall, roughly 48.4 million Americans, or 16.8% of the population, met the criteria for a substance use disorder…
-
Trump targets supervised consumption of drugs and harm reduction in executive order
Trump targets supervised consumption of drugs and harm reduction in executive order President Trump is threatening to withhold funds from supervised drug consumption sites and potentially pursue criminal penalties against them, offering his clearest stance yet against the philosophy of harm reduction and marking a significant escalation of his rhetoric on substance use and addiction. …
-
Opinion: STAT readers weigh in on marijuana-related vomiting, drug prices, and more
Opinion: STAT readers weigh in on marijuana-related vomiting, drug prices, and more First Opinion is STAT’s platform for interesting, illuminating, and provocative articles about the life sciences writ large, written by biotech insiders, health care workers, researchers, and others. To encourage robust, good-faith discussion about issues raised in First Opinion essays, STAT publishes selected Letters…
-
STAT+: Day 3 at ASGCT: Vinay Prasad speculation, screening newborns, promising data
STAT+: Day 3 at ASGCT: Vinay Prasad speculation, screening newborns, promising data NEW ORLEANS — Greetings from the home stretch of American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy conference, where everyone is still talking about Baby KJ and no one wants to talk about Vinay Prasad. The Vinay Prasad in the room Last year, hundreds…
-
RFK Jr. faces mixed reception, unruly crowd at major addiction conference
RFK Jr. faces mixed reception, unruly crowd at major addiction conference NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appearance at a major addiction and drug policy conference was marked by repeated interruptions on Thursday, as protesters and jeers forced him to pause and wait for noise to subside at least five times during his 36-minute…
-
STAT+: NIH chief voices support for Nora Volkow, head of drug addiction research institute
STAT+: NIH chief voices support for Nora Volkow, head of drug addiction research institute The director of the National Institutes of Health gave a ringing endorsement to the nation’s top addiction researcher, Nora Volkow, this week in his first public remarks on the drug overdose crisis — a potential signal that her position as leader…
-
STAT+: Trump’s new drug policy mixes ‘harshest’ penalties for dealers and test strips for users
STAT+: Trump’s new drug policy mixes ‘harshest’ penalties for dealers and test strips for users The Trump administration vows to emphasize addiction treatment alongside an enforcement-first drug policy, according to a not-yet-public strategy document obtained by STAT. In an effort to reduce overdose deaths caused by fentanyl and other illicit substances, the administration plans to…
-
Trump chooses Fox News contributor Sara Carter as next drug czar
Trump chooses Fox News contributor Sara Carter as next drug czar President Trump has selected Sara Carter, a conservative journalist and Fox News contributor, as the nation’s next drug czar. Carter’s selection comes as a surprise: Her background is not in drug policy, public health, or law enforcement, and she has never served in government.…