ONDCP Releases Plan to Address Methamphetamine Health and Safety Concerns

During Trip to San Diego, Dr. Gupta Announces New Plan Outlining Evidence-Based Public Health and Safety Actions to Reduce Supply and Save Lives

SAN DIEGO, CA – Today, Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), announced the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan to address methamphetamine and its impact on public health and safety. The announcement comes at a time when overdose deaths involving methamphetamine are on the rise and increases in seizures of counterfeit pills are being reported. This plan is designed to reduce methamphetamine use, prevent meth-involved overdoses, expand access to evidence-based treatment, and reduce the trafficking and supply of methamphetamine.

“The tragic rise in methamphetamine-involved overdose deaths requires immediate action,” said Dr. Gupta. “This bold, new action plan builds on the President’s National Drug Control Strategy by expanding access to evidence-based prevention, treatment, and harm reduction strategies, as well as reducing the supply of methamphetamine and other illicit drugs by going after drug trafficking organizations. This comprehensive and forward-looking action plan will help make our communities healthier and safer.”

Specifically, the action plan takes a public health and safety approach that emphasizes

Treatment services: The plan emphasizes the need to remove barriers to treatment for methamphetamine use disorder in a variety of outpatient, specialty treatment, and incarcerated settings, including expanded capacity building on the use contingency management which has shown great promise in methamphetamine treatment.

Harm reduction services: Methamphetamine-involved overdose deaths often include other illicit drugs such as fentanyl. The plan calls for the expansion of evidence-based harm reduction services, including fentanyl test strips, syringe services programs, and naloxone—to save lives and create new pathways to treatment.

Prevention in schools across the country: The plan calls for expansion of evidence-based primary prevention programs in schools within counties, including among Tribal Nations and Tribal officials, with high rates of persistent poverty, low education, low employment, and high meth use.

Training and Education: The plan calls for updated, comprehensive trainings for law enforcement and bystanders to identify and assist persons experiencing symptoms of acute meth intoxication, and for health care providers to help with the response to meth-associated cardiac events.

Domestic law enforcement coordination: The plan emphasizes the need to work with established law enforcement task forces nationwide to increase focus on methamphetamine trafficking, and to establish additional task forces as deemed necessary.

Federal oversight of pill press equipment: The plan emphasizes increased federal oversight of pill and tablet pressing equipment, including their importation, sales, and illicit use to address the increased trafficking of pills that resemble legitimate pharmaceuticals.

International partnerships to disrupt trafficking: The plan calls for the expansion of global partnerships, including with Mexico, China, and India, in order to reduce the supply of methamphetamine trafficked across the U.S.-Mexico border, and encourage global action on the precursor chemicals used to produce methamphetamine.

International capacity building for law enforcement agencies: The plan calls for the expansion of training for domestic and international law enforcement agencies involved in disruption of methamphetamine distribution.

Read the full plan HERE.

President Biden recently submitted his inaugural National Drug Control Strategy. Read the full Strategy HERE.

The Biden-Harris Administration has already taken significant actions to address addiction and the overdose epidemic based on the President’s Drug Policy Priorities for Year One.

###