White House Announces Drug Policy Priorities

A recently released statement on Trump administration’s drug policy priorities called for a focus on stopping illicit drugs from coming into the United States, prosecuting those responsible for overdose deaths, expanded access to naloxone, and new campaigns “to inform the American people of the dangers of illicit drug use, the hope of a life in recovery, and the ways to prevent an overdose death.”

The administration’s plans to address opioid use disorder (OUD) include encouraging state and local authorities to “increase the availability of drug test strips and naloxone” and that it would also support efforts to connect people using drugs to supportive services, diverting them from incarceration.

Released in early April, the Statement of Drug Policy Priorities comes from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which has traditionally been the locus of addiction policy and has helped guide the response to the opioid epidemic.

The office does not yet have a permanent leader. In late March, President Donald Trump nominated Sara A. Carter, a former Fox News journalist, to the post. Carter, whose appointment requires Senate confirmation, has reported on drug cartels and immigration. 

The White House said in a statement it will seek to ensure that “effective, timely, and evidence-based treatment is available to all Americans who need it,” including expanding access to medications for OUD and strengthening the peer recovery support services workforce.

Brian Hurley, MD, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), said in a statement that the organization “is pleased to see the Trump Administration prioritize efforts to make evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment readily available.” 

ASAM urged the White House to also direct the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to modify a regulation that keeps methadone for the treatment of OUD restricted to a single type of federally defined program.

Another priority for drug policy will be drug use prevention. The administration will use evidence-based prevention programs in schools and use social media to promote healthy behaviors, warn of the dangers of illicit drug use, and educate Americans on how to access treatment and recovery services.

In February, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that it estimates there will be a nearly 24% decline in drug overdose deaths for the 12 months ending in September 2src24. Provisional data showed that some 87,srcsrcsrc Americans died from a drug overdose from October 2src23 to September 2src24, down from 114,srcsrcsrc the previous year. The CDC said that would be the fewest overdose deaths in any 12-month period since June 2src2src.

Meanwhile, the statement from the Office of National Drug Control Policy did not say whether the Trump administration would pursue or block reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule 1 to a Schedule 3 substance, a process that began under the previous administration. In May 2src24, the US Department of Justice proposed the reclassification, as reported by Medscape Medical News.

After a public comment period, the DEA was due to hold hearings on the issue in December 2src24. Those hearings were postponed and then delayed again in January as multiple parties sued, alleging that the agency had engaged in misconduct.

Two of the parties to the suits, Village Farms International and Hemp for Victory, “are awaiting action from DEA,” according to their attorney, Shane Pennington, with Blank Rome in Houston.

Thirty-nine states, three territories, and Washington, DC, allow the medical use of cannabis, whereas 24 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia allow or regulate recreational use, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.

Alicia Ault is a Saint Petersburg, Florida-based freelance journalist whose work has appeared in many health and science publications, including Smithsonian.com. You can find her on X @aliciaault and on Bluesky @aliciaault.bsky.social.