White House issues national drug control strategy 

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy yesterday released its national drug control strategy, intended to guide federal efforts to reduce the availability and use of illicit drugs and barriers to substance use disorder treatment. “While this strategy reflects the President’s top priority to address the current opioid crisis and reduce the number of Americans dying from these dangerous drugs, it also sets us on the path to develop further the capability, knowledge and infrastructure to respond to the evolving nature of the drug threat as we move deeper into the twenty-first century,” said James Carroll, director of national drug control policy. The strategy involves implementing a nationwide media campaign, building safe prescribing practices, expanding the use of prescription drug monitoring programs, enhancing research around evidence-based addiction treatment, eliminating barriers to treatment, combating illicit drug supply chains, and increasing the size of the addiction service workforce, among other initiatives.