Opioids
The Real Opioid Crisis Isn't Prescriptions—It's Prohibition
West Virginia's overdose data prove it: Officials misunderstood the problem, and patients paid the price.
Review: A Doctor Changes His Mind About Opioid Prescriptions
In Greed to Do Good, a former CDC physician calls the agency's war on opioids a disaster.
By Trump's Logic, Biden Deserves Credit for a Dramatic Drop in Overdose Deaths
That logic implausibly assumes presidents have the power to curtail substance abuse by attacking the drug supply.
A New Survey Suggests Illicit Opioid Use Is Much More Common Than the Government's Numbers Indicate
The survey estimates that 7.5 percent of America adults use illegally produced fentanyl each year, 25 times the rate indicated by a government-sponsored survey.
Pam Bondi Says Trump's Fentanyl Seizures Have Saved Over 250 Million Lives
Bondi said the president's drug policy prevented the deaths of 75 percent of Americans, in just his first 100 days.
How Far Will the Trump Administration Go Against Mexican Drug Cartels?
Using the military to wage the drug war in Mexico raises practical and constitutional issues.
A New Study Adds to the Evidence That Drug Busts Result in More Overdose Deaths
The researchers found that drug seizures in San Francisco were associated with a substantial increase in fatal opioid overdoses.
The Media Love Negative Trends, but America Keeps Moving in the Right Direction
Remember the bee apocalypse? The U.S. reversed that trend. What other trends can we reverse?
Trump Praised His A.G. Pick for Reducing Opioid Overdoses. In Reality, Drug Deaths Surged Under Her Watch.
Pam Bondi cracked down on "pill mills" in Florida. The result was increased consumption of black-market alternatives.
Don't Credit Drug Warriors for Reducing Overdoses
While a federal crackdown reduced opioid prescriptions, the number of opioid-related deaths soared.
Florida Drug Deaths Rose Dramatically as Pam Bondi Did Her 'Incredible Job' of Reducing Them
The attorney general nominee's record as a drug warrior epitomizes the predictably perverse consequences of prohibition.
The Best of Reason: Can This Psychedelic Help Cure Opioid Addiction?
This Kentucky Republican won't stop until he finds a state willing to make legal room for ibogaine, a drug he calls "God's medicine."
Recent Overdose Trends Underline the Folly of the War on Drugs
Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris support supply-side tactics that are worse than ineffective.
Drug Deaths Are Finally Declining. Nobody Really Knows Why.
One thing seems clear: Drug warriors do not deserve credit for the turnaround, although they deserve blame for the previous explosion in fatal overdoses.
Can This Psychedelic Help Cure Opioid Addiction?
This Kentucky Republican won't stop until he finds a state willing to make legal room for ibogaine, a drug he calls "God's medicine."
Don't Blame Dealers for Fentanyl Deaths. Blame Drug Warriors.
Prosecutors' attempts to convert accidental overdoses into homicides are dangerous and morally dubious.
A Study of 'Problematic' Opioid Use Among Pain Patients Is Less Alarming Than It Seems
The authors of the meta-analysis misleadingly imply that pain treatment should be blamed for recent increases in drug-related deaths.
Divided Over Purdue Pharma Deal, SCOTUS Unites in Accepting a Dubious OxyContin Narrative
The majority and the dissenters agree that the drug was "central" to "the opioid crisis," even though there is little evidence to support that thesis.
If Opiates Are Killing Americans, Why Won't the FDA Let Us Try an Alternative?
As the DEA relentlessly tightens regulations on pain meds, the FDA refuses to approve a safer alternative already being used in similar countries.
Tennessee Law Declares Narcan Recipients 'Under the Influence' for 24 Hours
The Ben Kredich Act, named for a young man killed by an allegedly impaired motorist, overcorrects in response to a tragic incident.
The Best of Reason: Anti-Chinese Xenophobia Fueled America's First Drug War
San Francisco's prohibitionists worried that opium dens were patronized by "young men and women of respectable parentage" as well as "the vicious and the depraved."
Government Data Refute the Notion That Overprescribing Caused the 'Opioid Crisis'
The CDC’s numbers show that pain treatment is not responsible for escalating drug-related deaths.
Anti-Chinese Xenophobia Fueled America's First Drug War
San Francisco's prohibitionists worried that opium dens were patronized by "young men and women of respectable parentage" as well as "the vicious and the depraved."
Don't Blame Decriminalization for Oregon Drug Deaths
Oregon lawmakers recently voted to recriminalize drugs after voters approved landmark reforms in 2020.
Oregon Legislators Overwhelmingly Vote To Recriminalize Low-Level Drug Possession
The reversal of a landmark reform was driven by unrealistic expectations and unproven assertions.
Did Decriminalization Boost Drug Deaths in Oregon?
Recent research finds "no evidence" that it did, undermining a key claim by critics of that policy.
Biden's Cognitive Shrinkflation
Plus: A listener asks if the state of Oregon’s policy on drug decriminalization should be viewed as a success.
A New Pain Medication Could Reinforce the Disastrous Crackdown on Prescription Opioids
When the government is systematically interfering with medical decisions, a non-opioid alternative may not actually increase treatment options.
Guns, Germs, and Drugs Are Largely Responsible for the Decline in U.S. Life Expectancy
The Washington Post hectors Congress to make U.S. life expectancy a "political priority."
OxyContin's Reformulation Linked to Rising Suicides by Children
The study is one of several documenting the perverse impact of an intervention aimed at reducing substance abuse.
Matthew Perry, Drug Abuse, and Prohibition
The death of the Friends star should remind us of the costs of the war on drugs.
The Shady Statistics Behind the War on Painkillers
The government has doubled down on failed policies, citing deeply flawed studies and misrepresenting data.
Ban Teenagers From Social Media, Vivek Ramaswamy Says, Because Fentanyl
The Republican presidential candidate ignores the lethal impact of the drug policies he avidly supports.
A Study Finds 'No Evidence' That Decriminalization Boosted Drug-Related Deaths in Oregon
The researchers reached a similar conclusion about overdose trends in Washington, where penalties for simple possession were reduced in 2021.
Oregon's Drug Problems Were Not Caused by Decriminalization
Prohibition is at the root of the hazards that have led to record numbers of opioid-related deaths.
If You Need Pain Pills, Politicians Want To Monitor Your Body Chemistry
Our political leaders envision a future in which high-tech implants snitch about our use of painkillers.
A Netflix Drama Reinforces Pernicious Misconceptions About Pain Treatment
Painkiller reflects an indiscriminate anti-opioid bias that has caused needless suffering.
Prohibition Gave Us Tranq-Laced Fentanyl
Mixing other drugs with xylazine is driven by the economics of prohibition.
Did Drug Decriminalization Cause a 'Catastrophe' in Oregon?
Many of the problems the state is experiencing are caused by the continuing impact of prohibition.
Methanol-Tainted Liquor and Xylazine-Tainted Fentanyl Illustrate the Same Prohibitionist Peril
While the lethal effects of Iran’s booze ban are widely recognized, politicians ignore similar consequences from U.S. drug laws.
Drug Busts Are Linked to More Overdoses and Deaths
Plus: Government appeals social media order, Amsterdam attempts to move prostitution out of red-light district, and more...
Bombing Mexican Cartels Won't Stop Fentanyl
A Republican-sponsored resolution would authorize the president to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against foreigners involved in fentanyl trafficking.
Poppy Seeds Trigger Child Neglect Investigations
Drug tests for new moms are "unnecessary and nonconsensual," argues the ACLU.
Panicked by Fentanyl Analogs, Biden Embraces the Mandatory Minimums He Claims To Oppose
A House-approved bill that the president supports would expand the draconian penalties he supposedly wants to abolish.
Prohibition Gave Us Xylazine in Fentanyl. The Solution, Drug Warriors Say, Is More Prohibition.
The emergence of the animal tranquilizer as an opioid adulterant illustrates once again how the war on drugs makes drug use more dangerous.
Ethan Nadelmann: How To Legalize All Drugs!
Q&A about the future of drug policy, drug use, and drug culture.
