Michael Abrams

States rely on data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to identify and monitor troubling trends in adolescent health and develop programmatic and policy interventions. In January, YRBSS data were among many federal data resources pulled from public access in response to vague and scientifically unsupported executive orders signed by President Trump. The result is a dangerous blind spot at precisely the moment when schools, health agencies, and policymakers need clear information the most.

The illicit drug supply in the U.S. is dangerously contaminated, with widespread fentanyl adulteration one high-profile example.  States and municipalities interested in promoting evidence-based overdose prevention strategies should enact favorable drug checking policies, and they should consider a comprehensive approach, like a recently enacted law in California, to most effectively resolve existing barriers.

Several states have proposed legislation restricting the use of state funds to purchase opioid antagonists from entities that have entered into an opioid-related litigation settlement regarding misconduct in the sale or distribution of prescription opioids. As they consider whether these laws are in the best interests of both taxpayers and people at risk of overdose, policymakers and advocates should consider the negative effect such laws would likely have on access to lifesaving overdose reversal medications.

Preliminary data indicates that overdose mortality declined significantly in 2024, with one exception, elder Black men. One 2022 study found that deaths among Black men aged 19-30 years are expected to decline by 9 percent in 2025 relative to 2020, while deaths among Black men aged 31-47 years are expected to rise by 11 percent.

Preliminary data indicates that overdose mortality declined significantly in 2024, with one exception, elder Black men. One 2022 study found that deaths among Black men aged 19-30 years are expected to decline by 9 percent in 2025 relative to 2020, while deaths among Black men aged 31-47 years are expected to rise by 11 percent.

Infections among people who use drugs related to lack of access to new syringes and subsequent syringe sharing among people who inject drugs have increased dramatically. Increasing access to sterile syringes through syringe services programs (SSPs) is an extremely effective strategy for reducing the spread of bloodborne disease among people who use drugs, their partners, and their families. This factsheet discusses the legality of SSPs in Maryland.