Federal, Reports | April 22, 2022

White House Issues 2022 National Drug Control Strategy

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. this week sent his Administration’s inaugural National Drug Control Strategy to Congress, delineating his Administration’s approach to address the country’s overdose epidemic. According to the Biden Administration, the Strategy focuses on primary two drivers of the epidemic – untreated addiction and drug trafficking – and instructs federal agencies to prioritize actions that will save lives, link individuals to care, go after drug trafficking profits, and make better use of data to guide efforts.

The Biden Administration identifies the following relevant key areas in its Strategy:

  • Addressing Untreated Addiction for Those At-Risk of Overdose
    • Expand high-impact harm reduction interventions like naloxone – The Strategy calls for greater access to harm reduction interventions such as naloxone, drug test strips, and syringe services programs. Federal agencies are directed to integrate harm reduction approaches in the U.S. system of care and calls for greater collaboration between public health and public safety officials.
    • Ensure those at highest-risk of overdose can access evidence-based treatment – The Strategy directs federal agencies to take actions to meet people who need treatment where they are, improves the quality of treatment to include payment reform, and addresses treatment workforce and infrastructure matters.
    • Improve data systems and research to guide drug policy development – The Strategy directs relevant federal agencies to strengthen existing data systems, establish new data systems, including for nonfatal overdoses, and enhance the usefulness of drug data for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers.

The Strategy additional addresses other notable areas, including substance use prevention efforts among children and young adults, community-led coalitions implementing evidence-based prevention strategies, and expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) in jails and prisons. The Strategy also identifies ways to advance racial equity relative to drug-related offenses and details opportunities to expand supportive services to help reintegrate individuals into communities after incarceration.

Additional information is available here.