White House plan to reduce drug overdose deaths leans on harm reduction strategies

President Joe Biden is sending his administration’s first national drug control strategy to Congress as the U.S. overdose death toll hit a new record of nearly 107,000 during the past 12 months (Source: “Biden drug control plan stresses harm reduction, treatment,” Associated Press, April 21).

The strategy, released Thursday, is the first national plan to prioritize harm reduction, said White House drug czar Dr. Rahul Gupta. The strategy calls for changes in state laws and policies to support the expansion of harm reduction.

For an overview of harm reduction policy in Ohio, see HPIO’s “Ohio Addiction Policy Scorecard: Overdose Reversal and Other Forms of Harm Reduction.”