Public Safety

April 11, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Criminal Justice, Harm Reduction, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Naloxone, Opioid Antagonists, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Reports & Studies, Substance Misuse, Treatments

The Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law was established in 2018 through a generous grant from Arnold Ventures. Housed at Georgetown Law, the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative works at the intersection of public health and the law to advance a public health approach to substance use disorder and the overdose epidemic through legal and policy strategies that promote evidence-based treatment, harm reduction, and recovery. This reports highlights O'Neill's accomplishments over the last five years....

March 26, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety

The first U.S. reports of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl emerged in a handful of jurisdictions in 2015 and by October 2019, all U.S. jurisdictions reported them. One reason for the proliferation is the ease with which drug traffickers can enter this market. With only a few thousand dollars, a person can purchase a pill press, pill molds, and dies that mimic trademarked pharmaceuticals and enough illicitly imported fentanyl to generate $5 to $20 million in sellable counterfeit pills. Given the simple manufacturing process and low startup costs, counterfeiting is an attractive area for drug traffickers, albeit one that creates substantial health risks to consumers. Despite this, however, there are relatively few federal or state laws governing access to pill press machines, and those that exist do not provide for substantial oversight or assessment. In this fact sheet, the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association reviews: (1) what pill presses are and how people obtain them; (2) why fentanyl is an often-used drug in counterfeit pills and the health concerns this poses; and (3) the limited, currently-in-force, applicable state and federal laws....

March 18, 2024 | Fact Sheets, Novel Psychoactive Substances, Opioids, Public Safety, Stimulants, Substance Misuse, Synthetic Drugs

The Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association is monitoring the emergence of novel psychoactive substances 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,  examines xylazine, a powerful veterinary sedative increasingly appearing as an adulterant in heroin and fentanyl mixtures in the U.S., particularly since 2020. Xylazine has a chemical structure similar to compounds called phenothiazines and operates by decreasing the release of norepinephrine and dopamine in the central nervous system, resulting in analgesia, sedation, and muscle relaxation. Xylazine intoxication can result in central nervous system depression, low blood pressure, and slow heart rate. Respiratory depression can also occur, which increases the risk of overdose when combined with opioid-induced respiratory depression. ...

July 17, 2023 | Criminal Justice, Fact Sheets, First Responders, Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Substance Misuse

Deflection is any collaborative intervention connecting law enforcement, other first responders, and community responders with public health systems to create pathways to treatment and services for individuals—with low to moderate criminogenic risk—who have a substance use disorder, mental health disorder, or co-occurring disorders and who often have other service needs. This fact sheet provides an overview of what deflection is, examples of initiatives utilizing one or more of the six recognized deflection pathways, and a brief description of the status of deflection-related laws in the United States....

May 3, 2023 | Controlled Substances, Harm Reduction, K-12 Education, Model Laws, Public Health, Public Safety

Developed in collaboration with the Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law, the Model School Response to Drugs and Drug-related Incidents Act guides states in establishing a consistent and positive response for public schools to best support students who have drug or drug-related incidents on school premises or at school-related functions....

January 17, 2023 | Controlled Substances, Criminal Justice, Harm Reduction, Law Enforcement, Peer Support and Recoery Services, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Toolkits, Treatments

This toolkit is for justice and public safety practitioners planning to implement peer support services in law enforcement agencies, court-based programs, community supervision agencies, and correctional settings. Each section of the toolkit offers critical questions to address during the planning and implementation phase, case studies, tools, and resources drawn from the latest research, subject matter experts, and experiences from diverse settings across the United States....