Editor’s Note: We are taking a two-week publishing hiatus and will resume service Thursday, January 6. Happy New Year!

Overdose deaths involving fentanyl increased sharply between 2019 and 2020, according to a new government report.

Substance use in teens declined significantly in 2021, according to the annual Monitoring the Future survey released Wednesday.

Harm reduction groups are calling on the Biden administration to make the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone available to them over-the-counter, NPR reports. Currently, naloxone is a prescription drug. These groups must meet a series of requirements to purchase naloxone from drug companies.

Find more of our must-reads in policy news, including the limits of naloxone's prescription-only access.

View our curated digest of the latest research news, including the relationship between tobacco product use and medical opioid use in rural areas of the U.S.