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When political leaders talk about America’s current drug crisis, they are typically referring to opioids like painkillers, heroin and fentanyl. And when they have passed laws to deal with the problem in the past decade, those policies have centered on opioids. They have, for example, focused on boosting access to medications that treat only opioid addiction or reverse only opioid overdoses.
When political leaders talk about America’s current drug crisis, they are typically referring to opioids like painkillers, heroin and fentanyl. And when they have passed laws to deal with the problem in the past decade, those policies have centered on opioids. They have, for example, focused on boosting access to medications that treat only opioid addiction or reverse only opioid overdoses.
That narrow focus has neglected the rise of other drugs, as my colleague Jan Hoffman reports today. In the last five years, overdose deaths involving methamphetamine have tripled. Those linked to cocaine have doubled. People addicted to opioids increasingly use other substances, including meth, cocaine and prescription medications like Valium and Xanax.
That narrow focus has neglected the rise of other drugs, as my colleague Jan Hoffman reports today. In the last five years, overdose deaths involving methamphetamine have tripled. Those linked to cocaine have doubled. People addicted to opioids increasingly use other substances, including meth, cocaine and prescription medications like Valium and Xanax.
Meth use, in particular, has also made it difficult to stabilize patients and keep them in treatment for any drug, as one addiction doctor explained to Jan:
Meth use, in particular, has also made it difficult to stabilize patients and keep them in treatment for any drug, as one addiction doctor explained to Jan:
These types of problems are why experts have long urged policymakers to take a comprehensive approach to drug addiction. More support for opioid addiction medications is important, but so is funding underused treatments that address meth and cocaine addiction (such as paying people to stop using drugs).
These types of problems are why experts have long urged policymakers to take a comprehensive approach to drug addiction. More support for opioid addiction medications is important, but so is funding underused treatments that address meth and cocaine addiction (such as paying people to stop using drugs).
The changing nature of the drug crisis was predictable, because drug use is historically faddish. In the 1970s, America struggled with heroin. In the ’80s, it was cocaine. In the ’90s and early 2000s, meth. Since then, opioids have taken off.
The changing nature of the drug crisis was predictable, because drug use is historically faddish. In the 1970s, America struggled with heroin. In the ’80s, it was cocaine. In the ’90s and early 2000s, meth. Since then, opioids have taken off.
One explanation for this is what’s known as generational forgetting: Young people tend to avoid the drug that is currently causing a crisis. But because they don’t have personal experiences with the drugs that caused harm before their time, they are more willing to use those substances.
One explanation for this is what’s known as generational forgetting: Young people tend to avoid the drug that is currently causing a crisis. But because they don’t have personal experiences with the drugs that caused harm before their time, they are more willing to use those substances.
Different drugs can also complement each other, and so their popularity can rise simultaneously. Opioids, for example, often cause users to doze off, which can leave those who live on the streets vulnerable to theft or rape. So opioid users sometimes use stimulants, like meth and cocaine, to stay awake. And if they receive treatment for opioid addiction, they may continue using stimulants.
All of this leads to a revolving door for different kinds of drug crises. It has happened before, and it is happening again.
Read Jan’s full story, which includes details about the rise of a kind of meth so pure that some are calling it “super meth.”
Related: Arizona rehab centers provided shoddy or nonexistent addiction treatment to Native Americans that cost the state as much as $1 billion, officials say.
Israeli forces are closing in on Al Shifa, a major Gaza hospital. Israel accuses Hamas of building a command center underneath it. Hamas and hospital officials deny this claim and say Israel is risking innocent lives.
The United States attacked armed groups in Syria, while Israel continued to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against the idea that the Palestinian Authority, the Western-backed government in the occupied West Bank, could run Gaza after the war.
“It’s only going to get worse”: As fighting rages on in Gaza, Israeli military raids and violent protests are on the rise in the West Bank.
More than 100,000 people marched in cities across France to support Jewish citizens and protest antisemitism.
David Cameron, the former British prime minister, is returning as foreign secretary.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is rearranging his cabinet after firing a minister who accused the police of favoring pro-Palestinian protesters.
“There’s no moving forward”: Young South Africans face one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world.
Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Spain after the prime minister promised amnesty to Catalan separatists in exchange for political support.
Following a Times article, anticorruption officials in Nepal are investigating an airport financed and built by China.
A pro-democracy government formed as an alternative to Myanmar’s junta operates out of a small office three blocks from the White House.
Senator Tim Scott suspended his campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination.
The F.B.I. is investigating whether Mayor Eric Adams pressured officials to sign off on a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns.
Representative Brian Higgins, a New York Democrat, said he would leave the House early after 19 years, citing institutional dysfunction.
An Alabama mayor killed himself after a news website published a photo of him in makeup and reported that he wrote erotic fiction.
The children of immigrants, predominantly Hispanics, make up the fastest-growing demographic group in Texas, a Times analysis found.
In Vermont, baby boomers are aging out of the work force and subsequent generations aren’t large enough to fully replace them.
The Biden administration is investing billions in nuclear power. But the industry has consistently struggled to build plants on time and on budget.
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Metropolitan Diary: “I have a strange request.”
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Sunday Night Football: The New York Jets failed to score a touchdown for the second straight game in a 16-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Around the N.F.L.: The Houston Texans upset the Cincinnati Bengals, 30-27, thanks to the rookie phenom C.J. Stroud. And the Detroit Lions outlasted the Los Angeles Chargers in a 41-38 shootout. Here are takeaways.
Superstar: Caitlin Clark became Iowa’s all-time points leader in women’s basketball during the Hawkeyes’ win over Northern Iowa.
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The show’s depiction of the period has already set off conversations about accuracy and sensitivity. “People who lived through Diana’s death feel a sense of ownership over that history,” Annie Sulzberger, the head of research for the show, said.
“The Marvels,” which cost $300 million to make and market, debuted to $47 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada. That’s the lowest ever for a Marvel release.
Peter Nygard, a former fashion mogul, was convicted of sexual assault in Canada.
Programs teaching children how to be YouTubers are popping up everywhere, The Washington Post reports.
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Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was belittlement.
And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections.
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