The 2023 State of the States: Legislative Roadmap for Reducing Overdose Deaths and Increasing Access to Treatment (the Roadmap) guides state leaders on the most effective approaches to addressing the opioid and other drug epidemic by identifying 10 evidence-based policy approaches to reduce overdoses....
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 EQUAL Act, which was introduced in the 118th Congress in 2023, would eliminate both the sentencing and racial disparity in cocaine sentencing still seen today in U.S. courts....
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 bromazolam, a novel benzodiazepine that is structurally related to alprazolam (Xanax), which has been a Schedule IV controlled substance in the U.S. since November 1981. Bromazolam is typically found in tablet or powder form and sold mainly via online drug markets under its own name or as “XLI-268.” It has been found mixed with opioids, including fentanyl, and in counterfeit Xanax pills. There is not much information about the illicit use of bromazolam and its effects on the human body in scientific literature, so most of the information currently available about the substance is anecdotal. ...
This fact sheet summarizes a recent increase in the use of contingency management, a behavioral therapy that reinforces or rewards positive behavioral change. Often, mental health professionals use contingency management alongside other methods of treatment. In the context of substance use disorder treatment, patients typically receive something of monetary value to incentivize abstinence from drug use. Contingency management is a well-studied and effective method for treating substance use disorder, but until recently, received little support....
Aware Recovery is an in-home addiction treatment program that provides behavioral healthcare that addresses the root causes of addiction, providing ongoing support to clients as they navigate the challenges of recovery....
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 nitazenes, a group of synthetic opioids more powerful than fentanyl. Scientists developed nitazenes in the 1950s as analgesics, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration never approved the compounds for therapeutic use....
This report from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, details guidelines that local government officials, jail administrators, correctional officers, and health care professionals can use in providing effective health care for adults who are sentenced or awaiting sentencing to jail, awaiting court action on a current charge, or being held in custody for other reasons....
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....
This fact sheet addresses the growing misuse of ketamine, an anesthetic used medically in both humans and animals as a short-acting painkiller. Ketamine can produce dissociative sensations, feelings of euphoria, and hallucinations, and it is popular as a “club drug” among teens and young adults at dance clubs and raves. Most of the ketamine illicitly distributed in the U.S. is either diverted or stolen from legitimate sources, particularly veterinary clinics, or smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico....
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 isotonitazene, a synthetic opioid, recently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act, that is 500 times more potent than morphine. Experts believe that isotonitazene is mixed into other drugs to make the combined product more potent and profitable for the dealer. Law enforcement reports encountering isotonitazene both in powder form, which appears yellow, brown, or off-white in color, and also as counterfeit pills. Based on the most recent data available as of June 2021, there have been more than 250 reported fatalities in the U.S. involving isotonitazene....