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AMA supports efforts to combat ‘dangerous’ synthetic, injectable drugs

AMA delegates at the annual meeting underway in Chicago voted to back several efforts to close a gap in the nation’s ability to identify, mitigate and regulate the dangers posed by psychoactive substances, such as prescription opioids, cannabinoids, stimulants, hallucinogens and central nervous system depressants, according to a press release.

“Although Congress passed AMA-supported legislation in 2012 that placed 26 synthetic drugs in Schedule 1 under the Controlled Substances Act, drug traffickers have devised ways to circumvent federal drug laws by slightly altering the chemical structure of their products and designing new synthetic drugs,” Patrice A. Harris, MD, chair of the AMA Task Force on Opioid Abuse, said in a press release. “These new products are currently unregulated and are frequently marketed to young people as innocent products like ‘bath salts,’ plant food, or incense. They also include variations of the extremely dangerous opioid fentanyl, which has been wreaking havoc across the country and resulting in a sharp increase in drug overdoses and deaths due to such overdoses.”

According to AMA, these substances are sold as “legal highs” and alternatives to established drugs of abuse and are increasingly connected to hospital emergencies, acute adverse health consequences and drug-induced death.

AMA delegates also voted to support increased surveillance of these substances and early warning systems for more actionable information that can rapidly assist law enforcement, public health officials, emergency physicians and vulnerable populations in mitigating the growing problem surrounding these substances. The AMA also supports House Resolution 1732, the Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2017, which would require the US Attorney General to assign Schedule I classification to approximately 250 dangerous new synthetic substances identified by the Drug Enforcement Administration over the past 5 years. In addition, AMA supports the creation of pilot facilities where people who use IV drugs can inject self-provided drugs under medical supervision.

To that last vote, Harris said such facilities could potentially set new guidelines for these locations that could curb drug use for the future.

“State and local governments around the nation are currently involved in exploratory efforts to create supervised injection facilities to help reduce public health and societal impacts of illegal drug use,” she said in the release. “Pilot facilities will help inform U.S. policymakers on the feasibility, effectiveness and legal aspects of supervised injection facilities in reducing harms and health care costs associated with injection drug use.”

According to the release, studies from other countries have shown that supervised injection facilities lower the number of overdose deaths, reduce transmission rates of infectious disease, and increase the number of individuals initiating treatment for substance use disorders without increasing drug trafficking or crime in the areas where the facilities are located.- by Janel Miller

Disclosure: Healio Family Medicine was unable to determine Harris’ financial disclosures prior to publication.