When political leaders talk about America’s current drug crisis, they are typically referring to opioids like painkillers, heroin and fentanyl. And when they have passed laws to deal with the problem in the past decade, those policies have centered on opioids. They have, for example, focused on boosting access to medications that treat only opioid addiction or reverse only opioid overdoses.
That narrow focus has neglected the rise of other drugs, as my colleague Jan Hoffman reports today. In the last five years, overdose deaths involving methamphetamine have tripled. Those linked to cocaine have doubled. People addicted to opioids increasingly use other substances, including meth, cocaine and prescription medications like Valium and Xanax.
Meth use, in particular, has also made it difficult to stabilize patients and keep them in treatment for any drug, as one addiction doctor explained to Jan:
The paranoia and hallucinations caused by meth disorient them, he said. One patient threw himself in a river to escape nonexistent people who were chasing him. Others insisted that dumpsters were talking to them, that color-coded cars were sending them messages.
These types of problems are why experts have long urged policymakers to take a comprehensive approach to drug addiction. More support for opioid addiction medications is important, but so is funding underused treatments that address meth and cocaine addiction (such as paying people to stop using drugs).
Revolving door
The changing nature of the drug crisis was predictable, because drug use is historically faddish. In the 1970s, America struggled with heroin. In the ’80s, it was cocaine. In the ’90s and early 2000s, meth. Since then, opioids have taken off.
One explanation for this is what’s known as generational forgetting: Young people tend to avoid the drug that is currently causing a crisis. But because they don’t have personal experiences with the drugs that caused harm before their time, they are more willing to use those substances.
Different drugs can also complement each other, and so their popularity can rise simultaneously. Opioids, for example, often cause users to doze off, which can leave those who live on the streets vulnerable to theft or rape. So opioid users sometimes use stimulants, like meth and cocaine, to stay awake. And if they receive treatment for opioid addiction, they may continue using stimulants.
All of this leads to a revolving door for different kinds of drug crises. It has happened before, and it is happening again.
Read Jan’s full story, which includes details about the rise of a kind of meth so pure that some are calling it “super meth.”
Related: Arizona rehab centers provided shoddy or nonexistent addiction treatment to Native Americans that cost the state as much as $1 billion, officials say.
THE LATEST NEWS
Israel-Hamas War
Israeli forces are closing in on Al Shifa, a major Gaza hospital. Israel accuses Hamas of building a command center underneath it. Hamas and hospital officials deny this claim and say Israel is risking innocent lives.
The United States attacked armed groups in Syria, while Israel continued to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against the idea that the Palestinian Authority, the Western-backed government in the occupied West Bank, could run Gaza after the war.
“It’s only going to get worse”: As fighting rages on in Gaza, Israeli military raids and violent protests are on the rise in the West Bank.
More than 100,000 people marched in cities across France to support Jewish citizens and protest antisemitism.
Britain
David Cameron, the former British prime minister, is returning as foreign secretary.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is rearranging his cabinet after firing a minister who accused the police of favoring pro-Palestinian protesters.
More International News
“There’s no moving forward”: Young South Africans face one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world.
Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Spain after the prime minister promised amnesty to Catalan separatists in exchange for political support.
Following a Times article, anticorruption officials in Nepal are investigating an airport financed and built by China.
A pro-democracy government formed as an alternative to Myanmar’s junta operates out of a small office three blocks from the White House.
Politics
Senator Tim Scott suspended his campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination.
The F.B.I. is investigating whether Mayor Eric Adams pressured officials to sign off on a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns.
Representative Brian Higgins, a New York Democrat, said he would leave the House early after 19 years, citing institutional dysfunction.
An Alabama mayor killed himself after a news website published a photo of him in makeup and reported that he wrote erotic fiction.
Demographics
The children of immigrants, predominantly Hispanics, make up the fastest-growing demographic group in Texas, a Times analysis found.
In Vermont, baby boomers are aging out of the work force and subsequent generations aren’t large enough to fully replace them.
Business
The Biden administration is investing billions in nuclear power. But the industry has consistently struggled to build plants on time and on budget.
After Tesla fired an employee who had concerns about workplace safety, he leaked personnel records and sensitive data about driver-assistance software.
Other Big Stories
A small study found a gene editing treatment reduced dangerous cholesterol levels in patients with heart disease.
A nearly two-mile section of a major Los Angeles freeway, Interstate 10, is closed indefinitely after a fire.
Opinions
Society wants women to get married. But the growing culture of commitment-averse men makes marriage a lofty goal, Anna Louie Sussman writes.
Gail Collins and Bret Stephens discuss Israel and the Republican debate.
Here are columns by David French on abortion and Jamelle Bouie on Republican culture wars.
MORNING READS
Less than charming: Meet the people whose job is to find and euthanize invasive pythons in Florida.
Treasure: Billions in gold and jewels sank in 1708. Colombia’s government wants them found.
A morning listen: One Tennessee county arrested and illegally jailed children. Listen to the four-part story, “The Kids of Rutherford County,” from “Serial.”
Metropolitan Diary: “I have a strange request.”
Lives Lived: Karen Davis was a fierce animal-rights activist who led campaigns to recognize the dignity of chickens, turkeys and other farmyard fowl. She died at 79.
SPORTS
Sunday Night Football: The New York Jets failed to score a touchdown for the second straight game in a 16-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Around the N.F.L.: The Houston Texans upset the Cincinnati Bengals, 30-27, thanks to the rookie phenom C.J. Stroud. And the Detroit Lions outlasted the Los Angeles Chargers in a 41-38 shootout. Here are takeaways.
Superstar: Caitlin Clark became Iowa’s all-time points leader in women’s basketball during the Hawkeyes’ win over Northern Iowa.
ARTS AND IDEAS
Recent history: Most of Netflix’s “The Crown” has felt quaint and far away in its dramatization of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. But the latest season — the first part of which arrives on Thursday — will tackle one of the most analyzed eras in recent British history: the final days of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the fallout from her death.
The show’s depiction of the period has already set off conversations about accuracy and sensitivity. “People who lived through Diana’s death feel a sense of ownership over that history,” Annie Sulzberger, the head of research for the show, said.
More on culture
“The Marvels,” which cost $300 million to make and market, debuted to $47 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada. That’s the lowest ever for a Marvel release.
Peter Nygard, a former fashion mogul, was convicted of sexual assault in Canada.
Programs teaching children how to be YouTubers are popping up everywhere, The Washington Post reports.
THANKSGIVING PREP LIST
Make-ahead recipes are key to a stress-free meal. This year Melissa Clark created a truly delicious make-ahead turkey that travels well, too.
THE MORNING RECOMMENDS …
Skip takeout and cook your own delicious sesame chicken.
Buy a Wirecutter-approved tablet.
Start your day off right with a drip coffee maker.
Take our news quiz.
GAMES
Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was belittlement.
And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections.
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