newscannabismental-healthNew York's Cannabis Treatment System Is Collapsing Just as Youth Need It MostAs New York legalizes adult cannabis use, the state's treatment infrastructure for young people struggling with marijuana addiction is shrinking. Admissions have fallen by half in eight years, emergency departments lack linkage programs, and pediatricians aren't trained to spot the problem.April 8, 20267 min read
newscannabistreatmentNew York's Cannabis Treatment Admissions Dropped 50% While ER Visits Doubled—And Young People Are Falling Through the CracksCannabis treatment admissions in New York have dropped 50% since 2016, even as marijuana-related emergency department visits have more than doubled. Young people struggling with high-potency cannabis face a treatment system that wasn't designed for them—and the state is scrambling to catch up.April 7, 20268 min read
newspolicyfederalWhite House Budget Proposes 12% Cut to Health Agency Funding Addiction Treatment NationwideThe Trump administration's fiscal 2027 budget would slash federal health funding by 12.5%, consolidating and eliminating programs at SAMHSA that fund addiction treatment across New York. Congress has final say, but the proposal creates immediate uncertainty for providers.April 6, 20267 min read
newsnaloxoneharm-reductionNYC Honors Public Health Worker Behind Naloxone Vending Machines That Distributed 4,500 Overdose KitsNew York City recognized a dozen public servants for innovative projects that improve city services. Among the winners: Roxanne Anderson, who launched vending machines that dispense free naloxone, syringes, and harm reduction supplies across the city.April 3, 20264 min read
policyinsurancefederalFederal Insurance Rule for Addiction Treatment Coverage Now Under Review—What It Means for New YorkersThe Justice Department announced Friday that three federal agencies will reconsider Biden-era rules guaranteeing equal insurance coverage for addiction and mental health treatment. The move suspends an ERISA lawsuit indefinitely and raises questions about federal enforcement—but New York's own parity protections remain in effect.April 1, 20268 min read
NnewsopioidfundingNew York Airs Statewide Documentary Showing Where Billions in Opioid Settlement Funds Are GoingA new 30-minute documentary produced by OASAS is airing statewide this month, revealing where hundreds of millions in opioid settlement dollars are going—and putting faces to the crisis through personal stories of loss, survival, and recovery.March 30, 20267 min read
newsnaloxonepolicyNew York Just Became First State to Require Naloxone in Workplace First Aid KitsEmployers who maintain first aid kits under federal OSHA rules will soon be required to include naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug. The law takes effect December 13, 2026.March 27, 20264 min read
newspolicynaloxoneNew York Now Requires Naloxone in Workplace First Aid Kits. Here's What Employers Need to Know.AB 9453 expands workplace safety requirements across New York, mandating naloxone in first aid supplies at thousands of worksites by the end of 2026.March 26, 20264 min read
newspolicyopioidFederal Government Moves to Ban Synthetic Opioid Sold in Gas Stations Before It Triggers the Next Addiction CrisisFederal regulators are racing to ban a synthetic opioid that's been sold legally in convenience stores and vape shops across the country. The substance, 7-hydroxymitragynine—known as 7-OH—is a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant that officials say is as addictive as heroin and more potent than morphine.March 25, 20268 min read
newsdeep-divefederalWhiplash at HHS: How Trump's $2 Billion Grant Cuts Threw New York's Addiction Treatment System Into Chaos—Then Reversed in 24 HoursIn January, the Trump administration sent termination letters to thousands of mental health and addiction programs nationwide. New York's safety net scrambled. Then, 24 hours later, the money came back. But the chaos didn't end there.March 20, 20268 min read
newsopioidrecoveryNew York Airs Rare Statewide TV Program on Opioid Crisis — Here's What It ShowsA 30-minute program airing across New York this month gives the public an inside look at how the state is using hundreds of millions in opioid settlement money—and tells the stories of New Yorkers who've lived through addiction and recovery.March 19, 20267 min read
newspolicyfentanylDEA Just Banned Three Synthetic Opioids Stronger Than Fentanyl. Why New York Should Pay Attention.The DEA placed three nitazene-class synthetic opioids into Schedule I effective March 11, 2026. These substances are up to 40 times more potent than fentanyl and have been detected in overdose deaths nationwide.March 17, 20268 min read
newsmedicaidfundingFederal Medicaid Probe Threatens Coverage for 1.7 Million New Yorkers — Including Those Seeking Addiction TreatmentThe Trump administration has opened a fraud investigation into New York's $124 billion Medicaid program, threatening to freeze payments if the state doesn't respond within 30 days. For the 1.7 million New Yorkers who depend on Medicaid-funded health care—including thousands in addiction treatment—the stakes couldn't be higher.March 13, 20268 min read
newsoasasfundingNew York Airs Documentary on $3B Opioid Settlement SpendingA new documentary airing across New York gives the public its first look at how the state is deploying $3 billion in opioid settlement funds, including personal stories from families who lost loved ones and teens who learned to save lives with naloxone.March 12, 20264 min read
newsnaloxonepolicyNew York Employers Must Now Keep Naloxone Where First Aid Kits Are RequiredNew York recently amended its labor laws to require private employers who maintain workplace first aid supplies to also stock naloxone or another FDA-approved opioid antagonist. The change comes as workplace overdose deaths continue to rise nationwide.March 11, 20264 min read
fundingoasasauditState Pulls $5 Million in Funding From Lockport Recovery Group After 15-Year RunA Western New York addiction services provider that answered 55,000 calls a year has shut its doors after state auditors found its founder gave himself a $25,000 raise and a $40,000 loan without board approval.March 6, 20268 min read
newstreatmentmatNYC's Largest Hospital System Just Released Its Year-Two Addiction Treatment Report. Here's What Changed.The city's public hospital system expanded street outreach, emergency-based addiction treatment, and contingency management programs as part of its three-year Behavioral Health Blueprint.March 5, 20268 min read
newstreatmentpolicyNYC's Largest Hospital System Will Pay Patients to Stay in Addiction TreatmentThe city's public hospital system is rolling out a new approach to addiction treatment that pays patients small rewards for hitting recovery goals—starting with people involuntarily removed from the streets under controversial mental health laws.March 4, 20268 min read
telehealthbuprenorphineopioidFederal Rule Lets Doctors Prescribe Addiction Medication Over Video Calls Through End of 2026Federal agencies extended telehealth flexibilities for prescribing buprenorphine—a medication to treat opioid use disorder—through the end of 2026, allowing New Yorkers to access addiction treatment remotely without an initial office visit.March 2, 20264 min read
newspolicynaloxoneNew York Workplaces Will Be Required to Stock Overdose Medication by Next YearStarting December 2026, New York employers required to maintain first aid supplies must stock naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses. The new law signed by Governor Hochul aims to combat a crisis that claimed over 4,500 lives in 2024.February 27, 20265 min read
newspolicynaloxoneNew York Law Will Require Naloxone in Workplace First Aid Kits by DecemberThousands of New York employers will need to add naloxone to workplace first aid kits under a law signed February 13. The requirement takes effect December 13, 2026, covering any private business already required by federal rules to maintain first aid supplies.February 26, 20263 min read
settlementfundingnycNew York City to Receive $48 Million From Purdue Pharma-Sackler Settlement as Litigation Moves ForwardNew York City committed to a new Purdue Pharma-Sackler family settlement that will funnel approximately $48 million to the city — adding to the roughly $50 million annually the Adams administration already receives from major opioid settlements.February 25, 20264 min read
newsrecoveryfundingNew York Invests $42.9 Million in Job Training for People in Addiction RecoveryEvery region of New York will get dedicated vocational counselors to help people in recovery find stable work. The five-year initiative targets one of the biggest barriers to lasting recovery: unemployment.February 24, 20264 min read
deep-diveopioidsettlementWhere Are New York's Opioid Settlement Millions Going? Watchdogs Say the State Won't Tell ThemDrug policy experts and advisory board members say OASAS is stonewalling transparency efforts around $1.5 billion in opioid settlement funds, refusing to disclose basic information required by law.February 23, 20269 min read
deep-diveopioidtreatmentMethadone Treatment Tripled Since 2010, But Most New Yorkers With Opioid Use Disorder Still Can't Get ItNew research reveals methadone treatment has tripled since 2010, yet three out of four people with opioid use disorder receive no medication at all. A pending federal bill could change how New Yorkers access this life-saving treatment.February 20, 20268 min read
policyfederaltreatmentNew Federal Rules for Addiction Treatment Records Just Took Effect. Here's What Patients in New York Should Know.For decades, addiction treatment records were governed by some of the strictest privacy rules in American healthcare. On February 16, federal enforcement of sweeping updates to those rules officially began. What changed, what stayed the same, and what it means for New Yorkers seeking help.February 19, 20266 min read
treatmentresidentialnew-yorkLong Island Gets New York's First Residential Addiction Program Built Specifically for Young AdultsNew York has hundreds of residential treatment programs, but until now, none were built around the specific needs of young adults. A new facility in Brentwood is trying to change that — and the gap it's filling says something about how the state thinks about addiction in people under 25.February 18, 20266 min read
opioidfentanylharm-reductionA New Sedative Is Showing Up in New York's Drug Supply — and Naloxone Won't Stop ItDrug checking programs at NYC syringe service programs are detecting a new sedative in the city's opioid supply. Medetomidine is more dangerous than xylazine, and naloxone has no effect on it — which changes how overdoses need to be managed.February 18, 20263 min read
overdoseopioidfentanylNew York Just Recorded Its Lowest Overdose Death Toll Since Before COVID. Here's What Changed.For two consecutive years, New York has posted dramatic declines in overdose deaths. An estimated 4,567 people died in 2024, compared to 6,688 in 2023 — a drop the state hasn't seen since before the pandemic. Here's what drove it, who's still being left behind, and why 2026 will test how durable these gains really are.February 18, 20267 min read
policyfundingalcoholNew York Bill Would Make Alcohol Sales Fund Addiction Treatment StatewideBronx Senator Nathalia Fernandez is pushing three bills that would create the first dedicated alcohol tax revenue stream for addiction services in New York — at a moment when the state has never made drinking easier to access.February 17, 20265 min read
opioidfundingtreatmentRochester Just Got a New Opioid Clinic. Here's Where New York's Settlement Billions Are Going.New York has distributed more opioid settlement money than any other state. A new clinic in Rochester shows what that looks like on the ground — and a transparency controversy shows what it doesn't.February 17, 20268 min read
fundingfederalsamhsaSAMHSA Sends $794 Million in Block Grants to States for Mental Health and AddictionThe federal government sent nearly $800 million to states and territories for addiction treatment and mental health services — the largest single block grant distribution of the year, covering everything from community clinics to substance abuse prevention.February 17, 20263 min read
