The U.S. response to the opioid crisis is expected to shift under the new presidential administration in 2025. Drug deaths increased during the Covid-19 pandemic and early years of the Biden administration, reaching a peak in 2023. The new administration, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., shows a rightward swing in attitudes towards drug use, with a potential crackdown on supervised consumption sites. Kennedy’s focus on addiction recovery has not addressed medications like methadone and buprenorphine, which are crucial in treating opioid addiction. Additionally, the DEA’s decision on telehealth prescribing of buprenorphine is anticipated to favor a greater law enforcement role in the overdose crisis.
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STAT’s 3 to Watch: Addiction policy questions for 2025
