The New York Times (7/26, Weiland) reports Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta is “overseeing what experts describe as the most progressive federal drug strategy since” the ONDCP was first launched. That “strategy largely rests on the concept of harm reduction, focused not on helping drug users achieve abstinence but on lowering their risk of dying or acquiring infectious diseases.” The strategy comes as “some lawmakers still express discomfort with harm reduction tools, not least fentanyl strips, which are gaining acceptance even in some conservative states but remain illegal in others.”

Related Links:

— “Biden’s Drug Czar Is Leading the Charge for a ‘Harm Reduction’ Approach “Noah Weiland, The New York Times, July 26, 2022

Healio (7/26, Herpen) reports, “Roughly 53 million Americans live with a mental, emotional or behavioral health disorder, but not all are diagnosed and treated at the same rate, according to a” July 20 press release from AmeriHealth Caritas. In the press release, “AmeriHealth cited the American Psychiatric Association, which stated Black adults are less likely to be offered either evidence-based medication therapy or psychotherapy compared to the general population,” and are “also less likely to receive guideline-consistent care and less frequently included in mental health research, compared with whites.”

Related Links:

— “Bias, cultural barriers impede mental health diagnosis, treatment “Robert Herpen, Healio, July 26, 2022

HCPlive (7/25, Walter) reports, “Medicinal cannabis use for young patients in Canada is leading to some negative outcomes, including illicit drug use, tobacco use, and poor physical and mental health,” investigators concluded in a study that “drew data from the 2017 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey for individuals aged 15-24 years who reported past-year cannabis use,” and then “also compared youth reporting only nonmedicinal cannabis use (n = 2082) to youth reporting medicinal cannabis use for physical health conditions (n = 227), mental health conditions (n = 271), or insomnia (n = 98).” The findings were published online July 19 in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Related Links:

— “
Medicinal Cannabis Use Causing Problems Among Young Patients “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, July 26, 2022

Healio (7/25) reports, “Deaths associated with alcohol, drugs, and suicide took the lives of 186,763 Americans in 2020, a 20% one-year increase in the combined death rate…a report by Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust” concluded. In addition, 2020 “logged the highest number of substance misuse deaths ever recorded for a single year.” The report’s findings were announced in a May 24 press release from the Well Being Trust.

Related Links:

— “Substance misuse deaths up 20% in 2020 – highest ever, report finds “Shenaz Bagha, Healio, July 25, 2022

CNN (7/25, LaMotte) reports a systematic review found that “higher concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC – the part of the marijuana plant that makes you high – are causing more people to become addicted in many parts of the world.” Researchers found that “compared with people who use lower-potency products (typically 5 to 10 milligrams per gram of THC), those who use higher-potency cannabis are more likely to experience addiction and mental health outcomes, according to the study published” in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Highly potent weed creating marijuana addicts worldwide, study says “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, July 25, 2022