Trump drug use policies at odds

Recent Trump administration decisions on drug policy range between punitive and progressive, a display of troubling inconsistency.

As it foolishly moves away from the funding programs designed to reduce harm to drug users, the federal government is liberalizing restrictions on marijuana and embracing psychedelic therapies — yes mushrooms — to treat mental illness.

The abrupt decision to no longer give states money for testing strips that can help users determine if street drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy have been cut with fentanyl or other harmful and deadly contaminants is surely a political one. Instead of viewing free distribution of the strips as a reliable overdose prevention tool and one that can help addicts learn to exercise more control, a news release from the Department of Health and Human Services repeated the criticism of many Republicans that the strips "facilitate illegal drug use."

With that logic, will support for the lifesaving Narcan, a cornerstone of harm reduction strategies, be the next to go?

Meanwhile, one of the biggest changes in federal marijuana policies in decades is underway. President Donald Trump, acknowledging he responded to extensive lobbying from friends and the cannabis industry, is letting the Drug Enforcement Administration reclassify medical use marijuana so it can be sold in 40 states, including New York. The change from illicit status to a drug that can be regulated for medical use is a good move, finally eliminating barriers to clinical research into the consequences of marijuana use. Perhaps that research even will provide insight into whether pot undermines driving skills and how to better test those suspected of driving under the influence.

Republicans have opposed the declassification but money is talking louder than principle in this case. Cannabis businesses that aggressively sought this change will now have access to banking and financial systems, allowing them to expand, seek more investors and get significant tax breaks. The change also opens the door for Medicare to cover CBD products and eventually, some believe, for the federal government to decriminalize recreational use of marijuana.

Going even further, two weeks ago Trump signed an executive order, long supported by veterans' groups, to allow research into the use of psychedelics to treat mental illnesses like PTSD and depression. If done with extreme caution and highly controlled trials, this can be an effective remedy. But the promise of psychedelics come with both big risks and costs because drugs such as psilocybin can cause psychosis and manic behavior as well as self-harm during hallucinations. Yet public support is growing for access.

And that's the disconnect. As people want access to drugs once branded illegal to treat their needs, the Trump administration is turning its back on those who use illegal drugs and need help. Ending the federal government's support for the potentially lifesaving paper test strips that cost less than 50 cents in bulk is a step in the wrong direction.