Biden’s Opioid Focus Will Be on Treatment, Acting Drug Czar Says

The Biden administration will focus on recovery treatment programs in tackling the opioid crisis that has surged during the coronavirus outbreak, setting the tone for the White House as it embarks on the latest chapter of the fight against addiction.

The new focus marks a change from the Trump administration, which was more skeptical of harm-reduction approaches to treatment, like needle exchanges.

Syringe exchange programs, which provide clean needles to reduce disease transmission, data collection, and “culturally competent” treatment are among the initiatives the Biden administration will endorse, Regina LaBelle, acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, ...