What does Trump’s election potentially mean for addiction response?

The main point: Overall, a Trump administration is likely to be more focused on law enforcement and supply side responses to the overdose crisis, rather than approach the challenge from a public health perspective.

The details:

Why it’s important:

A caveat: It is early. Trump’s campaign did not focus heavily on policy proposals or on this issue, and we do not know yet who will be appointed to top health roles in the administration.

Source: Looking Ahead: Drug Policy in the Next Trump Administration (Georgetown Law O’Neill Institute); Trump’s health agenda (Axios); Trump’s White House Return Poised To Tangle Health Care Safety Net (KFF Health News)

In the states: drug policy backlash

Several states also had drug-related ballot initiatives on their ballots this election.

The main point: In recent elections, ballot measures focused on liberalizing drug policies (e.g., legalizing marijuana, decriminalizing drugs) have passed. This time, however, these types of measures failed, signaling concerns about these drug policies.

The details:

Another thing: Daniel Lurie won his race to be mayor of San Francisco, beating incumbent London Breed. Much of the campaign focused on debates about how to address public drug use in the city. Lurie ran on promises to expand police staffing, build more homeless shelter beds and shut down open-air drug markets.

Why it’s important: This is part of the broader recent backlash toward efforts to liberalize drug policies and emphasize treatment and harm reduction over punitive responses.

Source: State votes on marijuana and psychedelics signal drug policy concerns (The Washington Post)

California report warns of high-potency marijuana health dangers

What’s new: A report by scientists convened by the California Department of Public Health suggests that state policymakers must do more to warn consumers of the health dangers of high-potency marijuana and deter its use.

The background:

The takeaways: The authors say policymakers should take lessons from successful campaigns to reduce smoking and drinking. Among other ideas, they recommend:

What’s next: The authors say they are lobbying the California Department of Public Health, the California Department of Cannabis Control, the state legislature and other state agencies to boost regulation.

Source: Danger Zone (Politico)