Introduction

As the United States battled the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the opioid crisis worsened. Faced with job losses and social isolation, many Americans turned to alcohol and drugs to cope. The number of people dying from drug overdoses, including prescription painkillers, heroin, methamphetamines and counterfeit medications, reached a record of about 93,331 last year — creating the worst drug overdose crisis in American history. The deaths were driven in large part by the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which drug dealers from Mexico are mixing into the illicit drug supply to supercharge highs. In response to this crisis, President Biden is pursuing a number of measures, including considering criminal justice reform and moving more people to treatment rather than prison, and helping those who use drugs to ...

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