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President Biden on Monday will sign an executive order aimed at expanding research and improving government initiatives on women’s health, a move that will coincide with a White House Women’s History Month reception. The president’s executive order will “ensure women’s health is integrated and prioritized across the federal research portfolio and budget,” the White House said, with a focus on the administration’s Initiative on Women’s Health Research.  (Samuels, 3/18)

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday said "nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed," as she met to discuss the topic with rapper Fat Joe and others pardoned for marijuana convictions. Harris added that "far too many people have been sent to jail for simple marijuana possession. "President Joe Biden, seeking a second four-year term in November's election, has sought to appeal to young voters, some of whom are dissatisfied with his sluggish policy reforms.. (Kelly, 3/15)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called for greater international cooperation to fight the booming trafficking of illicit synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, the leading cause of overdose deaths in his country. He was speaking at an annual meeting of the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), which reviews global drug regulation and each year adds new so-called precursor chemicals - ingredients used to make illicit drugs - to international lists known as schedules to place strict controls on their trade. (Pamuk and Murphy, 3/15)

A recent poll shows that about three-quarters of Americans worry about the cost and availability of health care. But other than talking about reducing the cost of some medications ‒ a favorite topic of President Joe Biden's ‒ and how much of Medicare spending can be considered "wasteful," the leading presidential candidates have been largely silent about health on the campaign trail. (Weintraub, 3/17)