Why Are Opioid Deaths Declining? This Medical News article discusses new research on factors contributing to a dramatic decrease in drug overdose deaths in the US since 2023.

Opioid overdose deaths in the US have fallen dramatically, according to the latest CDC data.

What factors are driving this welcome downturn? ja.ma/3N5FAXY

The Story Linking Migrants to U.S. Fentanyl Deaths Is Powerful. But It Misses the Real Solutions. - Science Politics Public health investments and international cooperation to stop rogue actors would better address the overdose crisis.

Regina LaBelle in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social: "The U.S. cannot stop rogue actors by itself when transnational criminal organizations operate w/o regard to borders & across numerous criminal enterprises...Countering TCOs relies upon international cooperation."

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/02/t...

The cost of chaos: A cracking windshield on substance use in the US | Brookings Current conditions create incremental cracks in the national substance use windshield, which must be repaired as quickly as possible.

Honored to collaborate with @reginalabelle.bsky.social on a look at the state of policy-relevant substance use data in the nation for @brookings.edu:

www.brookings.edu/articles/the...

Snapshot of the Moving Fiscal Picture Grants and Fiscal Year 2026 Funding

open.substack.com/pub/reginala...

Grant Witness is tracking SAMHSA Grant Terminations – Grant Witness

Last week, the Trump administration cancelled >$2B in mental health + addiction treatment funds. Only massive, rapid pushback caused them to reverse the decision.

But these programs remain at risk. So Grant Witness is now tracking SAMHSA grants. What found so far:

grant-witness.us/posts/2026-0...

I’m honored to join the @oneillinstitute.bsky.social's Center for Addiction and Public Policy, Taleed El-Sabawi, Regina LaBelle, and other colleagues for the "Winter Institute on Addiction Policy and the Law” CLE event on February 9-10, 2026.

Register (zoom or live): web.cvent.com/event/e921a3...

White House reverses $2 billion cut to mental health, addiction grants Many of the affected grant programs had bipartisan support and President Donald Trump has supported them in the past.

Reversal by White House of addiction and mental health grant cuts.
rollcall.com/2026/01/14/h...

Maduro's ouster on drug charges comes as Trump lets others free The military removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on US drug charges comes after Trump has freed other figures connected to narcotics trafficking.

The military removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on US drug charges comes after Trump has freed other figures connected to narcotics trafficking. n.pr/4skk4yB

Venezuela is on the US list of major drug trafficking countries. But it’s on this list because it’s a transit country for cocaine trafficking - not a fentanyl producer. See the State Department 2025 report www.state.gov/wp-content/u...

Opinion | In Appalachia, Children Inherited the Opioid Crisis (Gift Article) The pain of drug addiction continues to course through towns like Clarksburg, W.Va., where many babies are born withdrawing and have to be taken from their parents.

The children left behind. The Opioid Crisis Never Ended. It Was Inherited by the Children. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Trump declared fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. What does it mean? The declaration of fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction is the latest move by President Donald Trump casting the nation’s deadly drug crisis as a national security issue.

More on fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction by David Ovalle of @washingtonpost.com with a range of commentaries from parents looking for solutions to doctors and academics. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

In light of the President’s Executive Order today on fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, I’m reupping the piece we wrote about the issue - oneill.law.georgetown.edu/wp-content/u...

The overdose epidemic demands serious responses - this isn’t one.

How a Cryptocurrency Helps Criminals Launder Money and Evade Sanctions

Blowing up boats won’t address the larger issue of money laundering that fuels transnational crime - good piece in The NYTimes about the ease of using stable coins for money laundering amidst lax regulation www.nytimes.com/2025/12/07/t...

Drug Policy Updates Purdue Litigation and FY26 Appropriations

open.substack.com/pub/reginala...

Here's what's in the opioid settlement against OxyContin maker Purdue and the Sackler family A bankruptcy court judge has approved the settlement of thousands of lawsuits against Purdue Pharma, maker of the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin.

Now that the Purdue bankruptcy is over, the federal government will receive a $225 million payment as a result of DOJ’s 2018 settlement w/the company. That $ should not go to the general treasury but should be dedicated for treatment and other health services. apnews.com/article/purd...

U.S. kills 3 in strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela, Trump says The president also signaled that his administration was preparing to take military action against Latin American cartels that move narcotics over land.

This is the same Administration that pardoned the Silk Road founder, an online dark web drug trafficking site linked to 6 deaths.

This is performative, likely illegal, & will do little to stop trafficking. U.S. kills 3 in strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela, Trump says wapo.st/4nCzbQN

U.S. kills 11 in strike on alleged drug vessel from Venezuela, Trump says The attack is a dramatic escalation that coincides with the administration’s growing counternarcotics focus and its intensifying feud with the Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro.

While walking away from anti-money laundering efforts, the Administration is relying more on military tactics in its counter narcotics efforts - a short sighted strategy. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Video: Mexico’s Cartels Are Using Military Weapons Recent attacks on villages in Mexico’s western state of Michoacán reveal the cartels’ growing paramilitary-style power, using drones, I.E.D.s and other weapons of war. Paulina Villegas examines the af...

The vast majority of firearms seized in Mexico that can be traced, originate from the US www.nytimes.com/video/world/... www.nytimes.com/video/world/...

@reginalabelle.bsky.social will join TFAH on July 30 at 2 PM ET to discuss our Pain in the Nation report. Register today bit.ly/PitN2025Webi...

Progress under threat: The future of overdose prevention in the United States | Brookings Overdose prevention stands at an important crossroads as the Trump administration and Congress propose and implement policies that endanger recent progress.

New commentary out from @brookings.edu - always great to collaborate with @holtgrave-health.bsky.social

Progress under threat: The future of overdose prevention in the United States www.brookings.edu/articles/pro...

Show Us Your Face The federal government should prohibit the wearing of masks by ICE agents and require them to properly identify themselves.

Important perspective from Brandon del Pozo about the need for law enforcement to show their faces and identify themselves in a democratic society. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

“He was dirty,” Mr. Musto said of the Salvadoran president. “He was corrupt. And now he’s sitting next to the president in the Oval Office and he’s got prime access to the leader of the free world.” www.nytimes.com/2025/06/30/u...

VEASEY: You've credited the 12 steps in your recovery. What's step 4?

RFK JR: Making a fearless inventory

VEASEY: Of ourselves. Do you remember step 12?

RFK JR: We try to help other addicts

VEASEY: Does cutting off treatment from people still suffering align with step 4 or step 12?

YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News 'This Isn't A Budget, It's A Death Sentence': Marc Veasey Doesn't Hold Back In RFK Condemnation

Excellent questioning by Congressman Marc Veasey on HHS’s proposed cuts to SAMHSA. The proposed HHS budget calls for a $500M cut to grant funding for mental health & substance use, cuts that will devastate the nation’s addiction response. youtu.be/jR4VVrIvIOQ?...

Overdose deaths of Black Bostonians dropped significantly in 2024. Here’s why Drug overdose deaths among Black Bostonians fell by nearly 60% last year. It's an achievement to be recognized, but much work remains, community health workers say.

Overdose deaths of Black Bostonians dropped significantly in 2024. Here’s why
www.masslive.com/news/2025/06...

Looking forward to this discussion about the Trump Administration’s approach to drug policy on July 8th. Register here for the virtual event: medicine.yale.edu/event/addict...

SAMHSA has fought drug and mental health crises. Now it’s in crisis. Staff and budget cuts will result in fewer services for people fighting mental illness and addiction, including Narcan distribution.

By cutting Medicaid and SAMHSA, the “backbone” of the nation’s public health response to mental health & addiction is in danger. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

This Week in Drug Policy HALT Fentanyl Act Passed and the Importance of Governance

Latest Substack

open.substack.com/pub/reginala...

Doctor who helped supply Matthew Perry ketamine will plead guilty to drug charges A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the months leading up to the “Friends” star’s overdose death has agreed to plead guilty, authorities said Monday.

BREAKING: The doctor charged with supplying Matthew Perry ketamine before the actor's death will plead guilty to drug charges.