Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Investing

New York Times Reports on the Polydrug Overdose Crisis and the ‘Second Meth Epidemic’

by November 13, 2023
November 13, 2023
New York Times Reports on the Polydrug Overdose Crisis and the ‘Second Meth Epidemic’

Jeffrey A. Singer

Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer, MD, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and works in the Department of Health Policy Studies.

The New York Times today features an important article by reporter Jan Hoffman describing how what was initially perceived as an opioid‐​related overdose crisis has morphed into a “polydrug” overdose crisis, with many nonmedical drug users combining stimulants with opioids, and often becoming addicted to more than one drug, making overdose reversal and substance use disorder treatment more challenging.

Hoffman reports that the last five years have seen methamphetamine‐​related deaths triple and cocaine‐​related deaths double. She reports that people addicted to opioids are increasingly using other substances as well, including psychostimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine, but also depressants and tranquilizers like Xanax.

This report helps bring attention to a fact I’ve been writing about for years: today’s nonmedical drug users are yesterday’s pain patients who became hooked on prescription opioids and now seek them in the black market. I mentioned in this 2019 blog post that, by 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 68 percent of opioid‐​related overdose deaths were “polydrug,” i.e., toxicology reports revealed a mix of drugs in the overdose victims’ system. The New York City Department of Health reported in 2021 that almost half of all opioid‐​related overdose deaths involved cocaine, and 41 percent involved alcohol.

Hoffman’s report brings to mind a 2018 University of Pittsburgh study I frequently cite, showing the overdose death rate has been on a steady exponential growth trend since at least 1979, with different drugs in fashion and predominating among overdose deaths at different times. It also reminds me of a 2017 study by Cicero and colleagues showing, “In 2005, only 8.7% of opioid initiators started with heroin, but this sharply increased to 33.3% (p<0.001) in 2015, with no evidence of stabilization.”

Hoffman writes:

A decade or so ago, Mexican drug lords figured out how to mass produce a synthetic “super meth.” It has provoked what some researchers are calling a second meth epidemic.

Hoffman devotes a significant portion of her piece to the second meth epidemic, providing powerful stories of some of its victims.

I wrote and told members of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Government Surveillance last March that the iron law of prohibition—“the harder the law enforcement, the harder the drug”—means we can expect more potent and dangerous forms of drugs to continue to arise.

In the case of meth, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which went into effect in 2006, drove the meth trade into the hands of the Mexican drug cartels, who quickly developed more efficient ways to make more potent meth while making patients waste billions of dollars on over‐​the‐​counter oral decongestants that are no better than placebo.

Alas, until policymakers come to terms with the fact that the polydrug overdose crisis and the “second meth epidemic” are the latest manifestations of drug prohibition, the cycle of harder enforcement yielding harder drugs and new drug “epidemics” will continue.

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Ikea owner buys Brighton shopping mall, its second in the UK
next post
Jones Act Helps Sink New Jersey Offshore Wind Project

You may also like

Congress Should Worry about Biden’s Emergency Spending Request

August 17, 2023

Housing Deregulation as Poverty Policy

May 2, 2024

Ten Years of the Human Freedom Index

December 17, 2024

US Withdrawal from the World Trade Organization Would...

May 15, 2025

Americans Think Increased Manufacturing Employment Would Be Good...

August 29, 2024

America’s Violent Extremists: Past Tragedies, Future Threats

April 20, 2023

Modi Is Down, But Not Out

June 5, 2024

School Reading Opt-Outs Are Minimal Protection

April 21, 2025

Not Just Any Fiscal Commission Will Resolve America’s...

October 17, 2023

USTR Report on China’s Maritime Subsidies Offers Thin...

January 24, 2025

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Call with China’s Xi, and Trump-Musk exchange fueled barbs during 20th week in office

      June 7, 2025
    • Trump’s conservative allies warn Congress faces critical ‘test’ with $9.4B spending cut proposal

      June 7, 2025
    • Tech ETFs are Leading Since April, but Another Group is Leading YTD

      June 7, 2025
    • TIMELINE: Inside the evolving relationship between Trump and Musk from first term to this week’s fallout

      June 7, 2025
    • Deadly drone wars are already here and the US is horribly unprepared

      June 7, 2025
    • Week Ahead: NIFTY’s Behavior Against This Level Crucial As The Index Looks At Potential Resumption Of An Upmove

      June 7, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,152)
    • Investing (2,019)
    • Politics (15,564)
    • Stocks (3,136)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved