Press Releases

FOUNDATION FOR DRUG POLICY SOLUTIONS APPLAUDS MAINE HOUSE FOR REJECTING PSILOCYBIN LEGALIZATION AFTER NARROW INITIAL PASSAGE 

June 10, 2025

AUGUSTA, MAINE — Today, the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) commended members of the Maine House of Representatives for rejecting legislation that would have legalized the possession of dangerous psychedelic mushrooms, known as psilocybin. The following statement was released by Jordan Davidson, FDPS’s Government Affairs Director:  “After an initial vote to legalize possession narrowly passed both chambers by […]

FDPS APPLAUDS THE HOUSE RE-AUTHORIZATION OF THE SUPPORT ACT 

June 5, 2025

Dr. Kevin Sabet, President and CEO of the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions, released the following statement after the United States House of Representatives’ passage of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2025:   “It’s a great day for everyone who cares about ending America’s opioid crisis. The Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions applauds […]

FOUNDATION FOR DRUG POLICY SOLUTIONS STATEMENT: COLORADO’S PSYCHEDELIC GAMBLE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IN THE MAKING 

May 30, 2025

DENVER, CO – The Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) released the following statement from Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, Luke Niforatos, in response to Colorado’s official announcement that its psychedelics program is now “fully launched for operations.”  “With today’s announcement, Colorado has gone from leading the nation in youth mental health crises to becoming the […]

STATEMENT FROM FOUNDATION FOR DRUG POLICY SOLUTIONS ON THE SIGNING OF SAN FRANCISCO’S “RECOVERY FIRST” ORDINANCE

May 27, 2025

San Francisco, CA — The Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS), and it’s west coast affiliate the Pacific Alliance for Prevention and Recovery (PAPR), praised San Francisco officials today for prioritizing long-term recovery in the city’s approach to addiction. The “Recovery First” ordinance, signed into law by Mayor London Breed, represents a landmark shift in drug […]

Friday Fact 5/23/2024: Overdose deaths decline in 48 states

May 23, 2025

According to estimates from the CDC, the number of overdose deaths declined in 48 states between 2023 and 2024, representing a 26.9% decline. This is equivalent to 81 fewer overdose deaths every day throughout the year. The CDC estimated that there were 80,391 overdose deaths in 2024, down from 110,037 in 2023. Overdose deaths peaked in the 12-month period […]

Luke Niforatos in the Christian Post: A psychedelic trip that offers to bring you closer to God

Will a psychedelic trip bring you closer to God? That is the question raised by a recent New Yorker feature on a clinical trial involving 30 pastors and spiritual leaders who took psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound in “magic mushrooms,” to experience what the researchers called a “sacred experience.” One of the study’s participants, a minister at an Episcopal Church […]

DESPITE PROJECTED DROP IN TOTAL OVERDOSES, YOUNG AMERICANS CONTINUE TO BEAR THE BURDEN OF THE NATION’S ADDICTION CRISIS

May 16, 2025

New CDC Report Finds Overdoses Remain the Leading Cause of Death for Americans Ages 18-44 (WASHINGTON, DC) – Foundation from Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement today in response to the CDC’s Provisional 2024 Overdose Death Data:  “While it’s heartening to see a significant drop in […]

Dr. Kevin A. Sabet in The Straits Times: S’pore must be wary of synthetic drugs amid worst overdose epidemic in history: Veteran journalist

SINGAPORE – Synthetic drugs like fentanyl have become so potent that illegal drug producers are intentionally weakening the dosage to prevent the drugs from killing their customers, said a veteran British journalist. Englishman Ioan Grillo has reported on the drug scene from Mexico for more than two decades and is in Singapore to speak at […]

Friday Fact 5/16/2025: Survey Finds That More than 7% of Americans Aged 18 or Older Used Fentanyl

A recent study in JAMA Health Forum, based on a national survey with 1,515 respondents, found that 10.96% of Americans aged 18 or older reported nonprescription opioid use and 7.52% reported use of illegally manufactured fentanyl (IMF) in the past 12 months. The survey, led by researchers at RAND and the University of Southern California, was conducted in […]

Dr. Kevin A. Sabet in Newsweek: To Save America’s Youth, Lawmakers Should Invest in Drug Prevention | Opinion

May 14, 2025

Prevention remains one of the most effective and cost-conscious tools we have in our fight against the drug crisis. This National Prevention Week, we urge lawmakers to renew their investments in prevention and push back against industry-backed efforts to normalize drug use. To maximize their effectiveness, prevention programs must reach adolescents before they are exposed to […]

Luke Niforatos in Cedar Rapids Gazette: Legalizing psilocybin will be a bad trip in Iowa

May 9, 2025

The Iowa House recently approved a bill that would expand access to mind-altering drugs in the state, namely psilocybin — better known as magic mushrooms — under the guise of “medical access.” They shouldn’t buy the arguments of the Big Psychedelics industry. My home state of Colorado recently became the second state to adopt similar […]

Tom Wolf, Director of West Coast Initiatives for FDPS, on the John Phillips Show

May 8, 2025

Tom Wolf talks to KABC Radio about the push for new legislation in California that would change the state’s “Housing First” policy, allowing for state-funded housing options to include drug-free housing. Listen to the full episode here.

WHITE HOUSE BUDGET WISELY CALLS FOR AN END TO FAILED PRACTICES THAT HAVE HEIGHTENED ADDICTION CRISIS

May 7, 2025

Budget Proposal Calls For An End to Funding for “Safe Smoking Kits and Supplies” (WASHINGTON, DC) – Foundation from Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) President and CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement today in responses to the Trump Administration’s 2026 budget plan:  “While we await more clarity on funding […]

Luke Niforatos in Colorado Newsline: Psychedelic centers create a danger to kids and exacerbate Colorado’s mental health crisis

May 6, 2025

With first ‘natural medicine’ business, customers should remember industry is focused on profits, not public health Now that the state of Colorado has issued its first license for the operation of a “natural medicine business,” the public must not be misled into believing that psychedelic drugs are safe or effective. These drugs — and the […]

AS NATION FACES ADDICTION CRISIS, KENNEDY, SABET UNVEIL NEW BLUEPRINT FOR NATIONAL DRUG POLICY

April 30, 2025

“The Hyannis Consensus” Promotes Prevention and Recovery as Drug Use Expands  (WASHINGTON, DC) – Leading minds from science, medicine, and professionals who deal with America’s addiction crisis have completed a dramatic new national blueprint for handing our drug policy. Unveiled today on Capitol Hill by former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, former senior drug policy advisor […]

FEWER OVERDOSE DEATHS DOESN’T MEAN FENTANYL IS ANY LESS DANGEROUS

April 29, 2025

Greater Focus on Prevention, Education, and Treatment Will Save More Lives (WASHINGTON, DC) – With more than 87,000 Americans estimated to have died from overdoses in the past year, Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, is using this year’s National Fentanyl Awareness Day to encourage lawmakers […]

FDPS Friday Fact 4/18/2025: Medicare enrollees struggle to receive treatment for opioid use disorder

April 18, 2025

A recent report from the Office of the Inspector General, within the federal Department of Health and Human Services, found that “in 2023, about 1.2 million Medicare enrollees had a diagnosis of opioid use disorder. Yet just 229,993 of these enrollees—18.7 percent—received medication for opioid use disorder.” This percentage “represents several years of minimal growth.” […]

CBC Vancouver: Dr. Kevin A. Sabet on The Early Edition with Stephen Quinn

April 15, 2025

Drug policy expert Kevin Sabet weighs in on the platform and campaign promises of leading parties ahead of the 2025 federal election. Click here to listen on CBC

Denver 7 ABC: Colorado issues first psilocybin license to healing center in downtown Denver

April 14, 2025

The State of Colorado has issued its first psilocybin license to a healing center in downtown Denver. But not everyone is buying in. Luke Niforatos, chairman of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, believes these healing centers pose a public safety risk. “The idea that we’re just going to let federally illegal corporations grow or produce these products […]

Dr. Kevin A. Sabet in the Washington Examiner: Trump’s drug czar nominee can make America healthy again

President Donald Trump made history by nominating award-winning investigative reporter Sara Carter to be the first female director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. If confirmed, she will become the administration’s chief spokesperson on drug policy and have statutory control over the whole of the federal government’s drug policy budget, spread across multiple agencies. Carter brings with her a […]

The National Post: Poilievre promises to fund 50,000 addictions recovery spaces

April 7, 2025

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced Sunday that he will fund centre-based addictions care for 50,000 Canadians if he becomes prime minister. “Now that we’ve lost 50,000 to overdoses the least we can do is, in their honour, save 50,000 more,” said Poilievre, flanked by an entourage of supporters, several in recovery themselves. […]

California Lawmakers, Community Leaders and Law Enforcement Reflect on 100 Days of Prop 36

(FOX40.COM) — State and local elected officials, law enforcement and community leaders came together to celebrate the first 100 days of Prop 36 and discuss their continued efforts to bring the Golden State back into a golden era with fewer crimes and better drug addiction treatment. The proposition, which was overwhelmingly approved by California voters, allows for felony charges and […]

Dr. Kevin A. Sabet in Fox News: Four important ways Trump can tackle the drug crisis and Make America Healthy Again

(FoxNews.com) President Donald Trump’s newly issued statement on drug policy priorities shows his administration has embraced the Make America Healthy Again movement as it tackles American’s top public health crisis: addiction. The next step must be to re-empower the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), elevating America’s anti-drug movement to the prominence it […]

Dr. Kevin Sabet in Newsweek: International Drug Policy Should Put Health First. That Means Discouraging Use

March 21, 2025

(New York) I addressed the United Nations‘ 68th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs last week. My message was simple: Nations must reaffirm their commitment to discouraging drug use and promoting health and safety, in accord with the long-standing principles established under the three international drug policy conventions. Amid calls for radical reform and the legalization of […]