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January 16, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Harm Reduction, Reports & Studies, Stimulants, Substance Abuse, Treatments

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....

December 11, 2023 | 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. ...

December 11, 2023 | Controlled Substances, Legal & Legislative Research, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Substance Abuse, Synthetic Drugs

In this survey, the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) examines the policy response at the state level to the spread of pill presses used to create counterfeit drugs. There is relatively little policy in this area compared to federal law, and most innovation is relatively recent.  Findings are presented jurisdiction by jurisdiction for easy comparison among states and between current state- and federal law....

November 15, 2023 | Criminal Justice, Fact Sheets, Stimulants, Substance Abuse

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....

November 13, 2023 | 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....

October 31, 2023 | Fact Sheets, Novel Psychoactive Substances, Substance Abuse, Synthetic Drugs

The Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) continues to monitor the emergence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) appearing on the illicit drug market in the United States. The term “novel” does not denote a brand new, never-before-seen substance but rather a substance that is newly available in the drug market. This fact sheet, the sixth in a series highlighting these dangerous drugs, is an examination of bromazolam....