Alexander Lekhtman

Minneapolis Police Consent Decree Has Uncertain Future Under Trump

Minneapolis, the city where a police officer murdered George Floyd in 2020, has agreed to let the federal government monitor…

January 8, 2025

Utah Sues Pharmacy Benefit Managers for “Central Role” in Opioid OD Crisis

Utah is suing two of the nation’s top pharmacy benefit managers (PBM), the companies that shape prescription drug pricing, alleging…

January 2, 2025

Database Shows How States Have (or Haven’t) Used Opioid Settlement Cash

A new database tracking how jurisdictions across the country are allocating opioid settlement funds shows that while treatment and prevention…

December 31, 2024

Lawmakers Omit Overdose Prevention Centers From MA Bill

Massachusetts lawmakers have dropped plans to authorize overdose prevention centers. Despite support from the state's Senate, health department and voters,…

December 19, 2024

New Jersey Governor Issues Pardons for Dozens of Drug-War Convictions

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) has announced pardons for dozens of people with older convictions, most of whom had drug…

December 18, 2024

Providing Sterile Syringes in Prison Is Not Only Right—It Also Saves Money

Providing sterile syringes in prison is an efficient way to keep people who use drugs safer and healthier, just as…

December 17, 2024

As OPC Opens in Rhode Island, the US Still Lags Far Behind

Rhode Island has made history by opening the United States' first overdose prevention center (OPC) that's sanctioned by a state…

December 12, 2024

Wisconsin Marijuana Legalization (at Least Medical) Finally Looks Closer

Wisconsin is a regional outlier: Bordering three legal-cannabis states in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, it has yet to legalize even…

December 11, 2024

Psilocybin Helped Doctors and Nurses Who Worked Through the Pandemic

Many doctors and nurses suffered severe mental health impacts after working through the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including…

December 10, 2024

VA Funds MDMA Study to Treat Veterans’ PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is sponsoring historic research to treat veterans with MDMA. On December 3,…

December 5, 2024