Controlled Substances

February 5, 2026 | Controlled Substances, Kratom, Legal & Legislative Research, Opioids, Substance Misuse

Kratom is an herb derived from a leafy Southeast Asian tree and contains two psychoactive compounds that can bind to opioid receptors in the brain and produce a pharmacological response similar to effects produced by other opioid agonists, such as morphine. As of January 2026, 30 states and the District of Columbia regulate kratom. This document: (1) provides a singular resource for each jurisdiction’s laws; (2) allows for a comparison of these laws between jurisdictions; and (3) identifies and highlights interesting provisions....

January 23, 2026 | Controlled Substances, Innovative Initiatives, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Opioids, Peer Support and Recoery Services, Prescription Drugs, Recovery, Reentry, Substance Misuse, Substance Use Disorder

Ryther, a nonprofit mental health service provider for children, teens, and young adults in Seattle, Washington, provides therapeutic services to youth struggling with mental and behavioral health issues, including substance use disorder (SUD). As part of its menu of services for SUD treatment, Ryther offers medication for addiction treatment (MAT) for those aged 12 to 25 who have opioid use disorder (OUD), making the program unique in focusing on young people. Ryther’s MAT program provides holistic treatment that addresses the physical, mental, emotional, and social challenges faced by children and young adults with SUD. Many of the participants in Ryther’s MAT program are homeless or experiencing housing instability, and the program is designed to provide these individuals with low barrier resources and support....

December 23, 2025 | Fact Sheets, Novel Psychoactive Substances, Substance Misuse, Synthetic Drugs

The Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) is monitoring the emergence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) appearing on the illicit drug market in the United States. The term “novel” does not denote a new, never-before-seen substance but rather a substance that is newly available in the drug market. This fact sheet, an UPDATE to the third in a series highlighting these potentially dangerous drugs, examines tianeptine, an unapproved drug commonly sold in gas stations and on the internet as a dietary supplement and causes opioid-like withdrawals....

December 22, 2025 | Controlled Substances, Drug Courts, First Responders, Law Enforcement, Legal & Legislative Research, Public Health, Public Safety, Substance Misuse, Treatments

All across the U.S. jails are filled with people who need medical care and social services, many of whom cycle in and out of jail without ever receiving the help they need. One emerging model to combat this problem is deflection, which seeks to prevent individuals who have low to moderate criminogenic risk, but significant unmet social, economic, and health needs, from entering the criminal justice system. The goal of deflection programs is to lessen the burden on the criminal justice system by connecting those individuals—before they enter the criminal justice system—to treatment and social services to which they might not otherwise have access. This document is designed to: (1) provide a singular resource for each jurisdiction’s deflection laws; (2) allow for a comparison of these laws between jurisdictions; and (3) identify and highlight interesting provisions....

November 19, 2025 | Controlled Substances, Drug Courts, Harm Reduction, Law Enforcement, Legal & Legislative Research, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety, Substance Misuse

Psilocybin is a chemical compound produced by more than 100 species of mushrooms found growing around the world. Because of the psychedelic effects that these mushrooms produce when consumed, psilocybin-containing mushrooms have been colloquially referred to as “magic mushrooms” or “shrooms.” In this document, the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) identifies both currently-in-force statutes/regulations and recently proposed legislation related to psilocybin throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories....

November 18, 2025 | Controlled Substances, Innovative Initiatives, Peer Support and Recoery Services, Recovery, Reentry, Substance Misuse, Substance Use Disorder, Workforce Development

In 2022, Frank Taylor, co-owner of Taylor Made Farm, a farm in Lexington, Kentucky for elite racehorses, pioneered the idea of opening the farm to men in need of substance use recovery to start their journey to long-term recovery by learning to take care of the farm’s million-dollar horses. He partnered with Christian Countzler, an Army veteran, to open Stable Recovery, a substance use disorder recovery program that combines peer recovery and 12-step program participation with horsemanship. ...

October 23, 2025 | Opioids, Pharmacy, Reports & Studies, Substance Use Disorder, Treatments

In collaboration with the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) recently released "Pharmacists and Buprenorphine: Analysis of State Laws and Regulations." Funded by the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) Foundation, this project, named Pharmacy Bridge, focused on a demonstration of the real-world application and outcomes of two innovative models of pharmacy-based, low-barrier buprenorphine induction and maintenance services: (1) collaborative care through a collaborative practice agreement (CPA); and (2) independent pharmacist prescribing of buprenorphine. The report contains state-by-state descriptions and analyses of relevant statutes and regulations as well as a detailed summary of overall findings....

September 17, 2025 | Controlled Substances, Fentanyl, Harm Reduction, Law Enforcement, Legal & Legislative Research, Opioids, Public Health, Public Safety, Sharps/Syringes, Substance Misuse, Synthetic Drugs

Given the increased emphasis in recent years on using harm reduction strategies to slow the overdose crisis, the hurdle posed by state drug paraphernalia laws to freely allowing drug checking services or establishing syringe services programs is not inconspicuous. Accordingly, in 2022, LAPPA first undertook an extensive research project to determine how drug paraphernalia laws throughout the 50 states, District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories treat drug checking equipment (including fentanyl test strips and other items) and needles/syringes. This January 2024 version, which sets forth a summary of state and territory laws as of December 2023, is an update to the original report. ...