By Signing SB 1338, Governor Newsom Signals His Favor of Forced, Court-Mandated Treatment of People with Substance Use Disorders and Other Behavioral Health Challenges Over Evidence-based Public Health Solutions Los Angeles, CA – September 15, 2022 – Yesterday, Governor Newsom signed SB 1338, The CARE Act, into law. The CARE Act aims to create a […]
Portland, OR – According to a new poll released by Data for Progress, a strong majority of voters continue to support Measure 110—the voter approved ballot referendum that made Oregon the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize drug possession and greatly expand addiction services—by a +22-point margin, nearly two years after its passage. Majority […]
Portland, OR – Today, Oregon decisionmakers approved the remainder of $302 million for addiction services made available by Measure 110—the voter approved ballot measure that made Oregon the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs and greatly expand addiction services through redirected marijuana tax revenue–for the 2021-23 biennium. The […]
Los Angeles, CA – Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 57, a bill to pilot overdose prevention programs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland. The bill was authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by the Drug Policy Alliance—along with other co-sponsoring organizations, including the California Society of Additional Medicine (CSAM), […]
Administration Must Strengthen EO & Work with Congress to Advance Amir Locke End Deadly No-Knock Warrants Act (H.R. 6877) and the Demilitarizing Local Law Enforcement Act of 2021 (H.R. 3227) Washington, D.C.–In response to President Biden today, on the two-year anniversary of George Floyd’s horrific killing at the hands of police, signing an executive order […]
Veto Reaffirms Drug War Mentality & Leaves in Place Crack Cocaine vs Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparities Montpelier, VT – In response to Governor Phil Scott vetoing H. 505, bipartisan legislation that would have helped move Vermont toward a public health model for drug use and low-level possession and would have eliminated the state’s racist disparity […]
Congress Must Urgently Support Harm Reduction Services New York, NY – In response to new CDC provisional overdose counts showing there were over 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021, a 15% increase from 2020, Jules Netherland, PhD, Managing Director of the Department of Research & Academic Engagement at the Drug Policy Alliance released the following statement: “Once […]
First Time Ever Strategy Has Supported Access and Funding for Harm Reduction Services and Reducing Barriers for Life-Saving Medications Washington, D.C. – In response to the Biden-Harris Administration today releasing the 2022 National Drug Control Strategy to Congress, which—for the first time in history—included support for access and funding of harm reduction services and reducing […]
New York, NY – Today, the Journal of the American Medical Association released a research letter showing an alarming spike in teen overdose deaths between 2020 and 2021 after decades of low and stable rates. Conducted by Joseph Friedman and colleagues, the study found that among young people ages 14-18, the overdose death rate doubled […]
Washington, D.C.—In response to the House passing the MORE Act today—the first bill to completely deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and begin to repair the harms of prohibition—by a bipartisan 220-204 majority, Maritza Perez, Director of the Office of National Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, released the following statement: “Thanks to the […]
