Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New York, Texas Take Steps To Tackle Synthetic Marijuana
New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said Tuesday she planned to introduce legislation to ban the sale of synthetic marijuana, a drug that has prompted increasing alarm in law-enforcement and public-health circles. 鈥淭his is a concern that鈥檚 growing. We鈥檙e trying to get a handle on it,鈥 Ms. Mark-Viverito said a news conference near City Hall. (Gay, 8/25)
Starting Sept. 1, a new law will ban 1,000 possible chemical compounds of synthetic marijuana and make it a lot harder for Texans to buy or sell the drug. (Mutnick and Wiseman, 8/25)
Maryland will add treatment beds for heroin addicts on the Eastern Shore, boost law enforcement efforts to disrupt dealers and launch a public-awareness campaign about the dangers of addiction as part of an initial state response to a growing and deadly overdose epidemic, Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford said Tuesday. (Hicks, 8/25)