Substance Misuse

In this document, the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) examines state-level statutes and regulations related to substance use during pregnancy and whether such use during pregnancy is considered child abuse or neglect in the jurisdiction. ...

Paramedics in the State of New Jersey are permitted to carry and administer buprenorphine to treat acute withdrawal symptoms after having had an opioid overdose reversed with naloxone. The directive, via Executive Order from the State Health Commissioner, simply added buprenorphine to the list of medications available to paramedics in the MICUs and required officials in each county to train paramedics on the protocol. ...

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....

The Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Network, overseen by the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration establishes a system of care for individuals suffering from substance use disorder (SUD). CORE provides a state-supported, coordinated system of addiction care for individuals with SUD and has provided approximately 550,000 services to support patients since its inception in 2022....

The Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) is monitoring the emergence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) appearing on the streets of the United States. This fact sheet, which focuses on Xylazine, was originally the second in a series that highlights these dangerous drugs. This is an update to the original version....

Total abstinence has historically been the goal of treatment for substance use disorders; however, there is a growing recognition of the health benefits associated with reduced use as a harm reduction measure in stimulant use disorders treatment. The researchers and authors of this report aimed to assess the validity of reduced stimulant use as an outcome measure in randomized controlled trials of pharmacological interventions for stimulant use disorder....

This fact sheet examines the racial disparities and stigma surrounding crack cocaine, established in the late 1980s, that continue to this day. The Fair Sentencing Act has helped to lessen the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, yet gaps remain. Passage of certain legislation, like the so-called EQUAL Act, would eliminate both the sentencing and racial disparity in cocaine sentencing still seen today in U.S. courts....