Drug Policy Facts

Trump ‘Determined’ the U.S. Is Now in a War With Drug Cartels, Congress Is Told

Trump ‘Determined’ the U.S. Is Now in a War With Drug Cartels, Congress Is Told
A notice calls the people the U.S. military recently killed on suspicion of drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea “unlawful combatants.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

Researchers concerned new U.S. dietary guidelines will overlook harms of alcohol The federal government is getting ready to release new dietary guidelines, but some researchers are concerned the harmful effects of alcohol will be overlooked.

Researchers concerned new U.S. dietary guidelines will overlook harms of alcohol
www.npr.org/2025/10/01/n...

Teen opioid addictions often untreated as youth overdose deaths rapidly rise in US – study Drug overdoses are now a leading causes of death among US teens as fentanyl possibly drives surge, researchers warn

"In 2023, 557 teens died of opioid overdose, nearly threefold as many as in 2018, while adult opioid deaths only went up by 65% during this time, according to the study. Drug overdoses are now among the leading causes of death for US teenagers."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Great project from @bakerinstitute.bsky.social tracking how the 21 largest local govts in Texas are spending their opioid settlement money. These localities have no reporting requirements, so researchers are filling a critical gap in public knowledge here. rice1.osn.mghpcc.org/crc-ssl/Opio...

Improving Access To Substance Use Disorder Care In Nursing Facilities | Health Affairs Journal The population of aging patients with substance use disorder (SUD) requiring care in nursing facilities is growing, yet these facilities are not sufficiently prepared to provide evidence-based treatme...

New at Health Affairs: Improving Access To Substance Use Disorder Care In Nursing Facilities
www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/...

Donate | Prison Journalism Project Prison Journalism Project is supported by people like you. Support Prison Journalism Project today.

*looks around at the world* It's been a week. If you value our work and believe incarcerated voices deserve to be heard, please consider donating. As a nonprofit, we can’t do this without your support.

Xylazine | Drug Policy Facts

Drug Policy Facts: Xylazine
www.drugpolicyfacts.org/chapter/xyla...

Thousands of opioid deaths missed off official figures The error - affecting England and Wales - raises concerns about the impact on the government's approach to drug deaths.

"Research from King's College London, shared exclusively with BBC News, found that there were 39,232 opioid-related deaths between 2011 and 2022, more than 50% higher than previously known."
www.bbc.com/news/article...

"Even if moving large numbers of people off the street were feasible, states would need to find spots in facilities and pay for them. Right now, beds for people who want help are already limited."

Stigma From Medical Providers Contributed to My Son’s Overdose Death At pivotal times, medical providers could have helped Alex. Instead, they labeled him an "addict" and chastised him for "bad choices."

"While stigma operates in multiple institutions, its role in medical care is especially pronounced, insidious and devastating."
filtermag.org/stigma-medic...

Can Drug Users Be Forced Into Rehab? Trump Says Yes. So Do 34 States.

"There is little research on whether treatment ordered through involuntary civil commitment is associated with sustained recovery from addiction. Some recent reports have been discouraging."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/h...

Nitazenes | Drug Policy Facts

Drug Policy Facts: Nitazenes
www.drugpolicyfacts.org/chapter/nita...

Nitazenes: another failure of drug prohibition As countries crack down on fentanyl, a new synthetic opioid takes off

"Nitazenes are probably too dangerous to legalise. But the best way to reduce harm to drug users and revenues for criminal gangs is to allow addicts regulated access to better-understood opioids, including heroin."
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...

"If you give people drugs with predictable contents, they stop dying. So I spent all my time in non-profits and governments saying: ‘Someone should be giving people drugs with predictable contents,’ and then I thought, ‘Well, fuck it, I’ll just do that.'"

Felt that way for a long time. Throw out drug prohibition, grow, cultivate coca leaves and opium in US greenhouses. Wholesale to distributors, retail with similar regulations and prices as alcohol.

‘Who wouldn’t want pure cocaine?’: the radical plan to prevent overdoses with better drugs Vancouver’s Drug User Liberation Front believes we shouldn’t blame users for the ills of capitalism: if so many people are self-medicating, why not give them the clean stuff?

‘Who wouldn’t want pure cocaine?’: the radical plan to prevent overdoses with better drugs
www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...

Overdose Prevention Centers / Safe Consumption Spaces / Supervised Inhalation Rooms / Supervised Injection Facilities | Drug Policy Facts Information and statistics regarding overdose prevention and safe consumption sites.

Overdose Prevention Centers, Safe Consumption Spaces, Supervised Injection Facilities - whatever you call them, these are vital services that save lives, help stop the spread of diseases, build community and rebuild trust.
www.drugpolicyfacts.org/chapter/supe... #DrugSky #HarmReduction #DrugPolicy

Active Constituents of Psilocybin Mushroom Edibles This case series evaluates the active constituents of unregulated psilocybin mushroom edibles.

New at JAMA Network Open: Active Constituents of Psilocybin Mushroom Edibles
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Mexico's Marines In Hot Water The elite Mexican force that worked with U.S. agents to get Chapo faces a growing scandal

Mexico's Marines In Hot Water

A scandal is growing in Mexico's elite SEMAR which US agents work with to take down kingpins. In Manzanillo where SEMAR controls customs, a broker told me you could get a container with drugs through for 800,000 pesos.

Read↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexicos-ma...

Restarting Drug War Chronicle, Continued (donations urgently needed!) | StoptheDrugWar.org Dear friends,

The Drug War Chronicle is a vitally important outlet for news on drug policy and the failed drug war. Phil Smith and Dave Borden do a lot of really great work. Please give them your support.
stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/re... #DrugSky

Amidst the increasing punitive crackdowns on fentanyl there's been growing cases of new synthetics that won't show up on fent test strips and have many variants. It's grim.

Exclusive: RFK Jr. and the White House buried a major study on alcohol and cancer. Here’s what it shows. Kennedy wants to “Make America Healthy Again” — but doesn’t want you to see a report that could do just that.

Exclusive: RFK Jr. and the White House buried a major study on alcohol and cancer. Here’s what it shows.

www.vox.com/health/46008...

Nitazenes | Drug Policy Facts

www.drugpolicyfacts.org/chapter/nita...

‘Crisis on top of crisis’: Scotland faces threat from dangerous form of opioids, experts warn Synthetic opioids known as nitazenes, linked to more than 100 deaths, can be hundreds of times stronger than other drugs

‘Crisis on top of crisis’: Scotland faces threat from dangerous form of opioids, experts warn
Synthetic opioids known as nitazenes, linked to more than 100 deaths, can be hundreds of times stronger than other drugs
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

In the former official’s opinion, it was more likely that the vessel was carrying migrants on a human smuggling run. It would be impossible to know for sure, however, given that any evidence of drug smuggling was destroyed in the attack.

You know that boat the administration blew up? A former law enforcement official told the NYT the boat seemed to be carrying not drugs but *’migrants *
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/u...

The Opioid Crisis: Scaling Up Treatment And Harm Reduction Programs To Reach More People Who Would Benefit | Health Affairs Journal A central challenge in the opioid crisis in the US has been the underuse of lifesaving treatment and harm reduction programs. Conventional explanations focus on limited access to care when services ar...

New at Health Affairs: The Opioid Crisis: Scaling Up Treatment And Harm Reduction Programs To Reach More People Who Would Benefit
www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10....

Broken No More On this edition of Century of Lies: Broken No More. International Overdose Awareness Day was August 31. The organization Broken No More held a news conference August 27 to lift up the voices of famili...

On this edition of Century of Lies: Broken No More kboo.fm/media/129114... #SupportPublicMedia #SupportCommunityRadio #SupportKBOO #IOAD2025

Alarming number of overdose deaths in Australia! Only 6 heroin overdose deaths in Australia 1964. Heroin became a serious problem in Australia AFTER it was prohibited in 1955. Decision criticised at the time by leaders of the Australian medical profession. @m1ngthemerciless.bsky.social

For International Overdose Awareness Day, we remember the peers who went before us, the ones we lost, but will never forget 💜 AIVL will keep pushing for better access to naloxone, peer support and equitable drug policies and programs! 💜💊💉✊️☂️ See our #IOAD webinar: aivl.org.au/events/webin...

“They won’t prosecute, but they will though:” the continuing struggle between criminalization and harm reduction within the criminal justice system in the context of an opioid overdose crisis - Harm R... People who use drugs (PWUD) come into frequent contact with the police including after calling for emergency medical services when witnessing an opioid overdose. Good Samaritan laws have been passed i...

“They won’t prosecute, but they will though:” the continuing struggle between criminalization and harm reduction within the criminal justice system in the context of an opioid overdose crisis
harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....