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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 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 Act, Fact Sheets, Hemp

On November 12, 2025, President Trump signed the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2026 (Extensions Act), a funding package which in part, closed what lawmakers have referred to as the “hemp loophole” created by the 2018 Farm Bill. By narrowing the federal definition of hemp and identifying specific exclusions to the definition, the supporters of this measure believe that the change will protect public health. The hemp industry, however, is concerned that the change will destroy their operations. With the change to the federal hemp definition set to go into effect on November 12, 2026, various stakeholders are now attempting to find a common ground solution to the issue that addresses both public health concerns around hemp and hemp-derived products and the business concerns of the hemp industry....

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....

December 22, 2025 | Controlled Substances Act, Fact Sheets, Psychedelics, Substance Misuse

Psilocybin is a chemical compound produced by more than 100 species of mushrooms, many of which belong to the genus Psilocybe, found growing around the world. Various indigenous cultures have consumed psilocybin-containing mushrooms for medical purposes and as part of spiritual ceremonies for thousands of years. In 1970, Congress enacted the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and categorized psilocybin and other psychedelic substances as Schedule I controlled substances, which effectively stopped the research into the therapeutic effects of psilocybin for several decades. Today, psilocybin remains a Schedule I controlled substance at the federal level and it is also classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Despite the continued challenges of researching Schedule I controlled substances, the 21st century has brought forth a renewed interest in investigating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin....

December 16, 2025 | Criminal Justice, Data Collection, Fact Sheets, Law Enforcement, Public Safety

Automatic license plate recognition systems (ALPRs) are camera systems that capture license plate data of vehicles and are available in fixed, mobile, and portable applications. ALPR systems automatically capture images or videos of all vehicles that pass the camera if the system algorithm detects what it determines to be a license plate. A computer algorithm then converts the image or video into readable-data, that includes the license plate number and any additional information that the system is set up to detect. This data can then be used by law enforcement for a variety of investigative purposes....

December 10, 2025 | Case Law Monitor

Case Law Monitor is the bimonthly case law newsletter of the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA). Each issue will highlight unique cases from around the United States in the areas of public health and safety, substance use disorders, and the criminal justice system. ...

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. ...

November 12, 2025 | News Bites

Each issue of News Bites will highlight unique news articles from around the United States in the areas of public health and safety, substance use disorders, and the criminal justice system. This newsletter will feature stories that you may have missed but are important to the field....