Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Report Says Meta Is Running Ads For Illegal Drugs Like Cocaine
Meta Platforms is running ads on Facebook and Instagram that steer users to online marketplaces for illegal drugs, months after The Wall Street Journal first reported that the social-media giant was facing a federal investigation over the practice. The company has continued to collect revenue from ads that violate its policies, which ban promoting the sale of illicit or recreational drugs. A review by The Wall Street Journal in July found dozens of ads marketing illegal substances such as cocaine and prescription opioids, including as recently as Friday. A separate analysis over recent months by an industry watchdog group found hundreds of such ads. (Rodriguez, 7/31)
The White House on Wednesday backed proposals to permanently stiffen penalties on synthetic drug traffickers, monitor machines used to make fentanyl pills and close a loophole that allows criminal groups to easily ship drugs in packages. President Biden announced the initiatives as state and federal officials from both political parties grapple with how to curb a drug epidemic that has killed more than 300,000 people during his administration. (Ovalle, 7/31)
The Biden administration isn’t doing enough to ensure people living in recovery housing have access to gold-standard addiction medications like methadone and buprenorphine, according to a coalition of health care, harm reduction, and addiction recovery groups. (Facher, 7/31)
Also —
Rates of mental illness and substance use remained largely stable in 2023, according to federal data, underscoring the severity of the long-running U.S. mental health crisis and worst-in-the-world rates of illicit drug use. (Facher, 7/30)
Almost 23 percent of adults reported having any mental disorder last year, according to a report released Tuesday from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That number, and several others included in the results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2023, showed that incidence of mental health and substance use issues have largely remained stable since 2021. (Raman, 7/30)
