During his long political career, President Biden made a name for himself as a fighter in the decades long “war on drugs.” But has he takes office amid an ongoing opioid epidemic, soaring overdose fatalities and a rush by states to legalize marijuana, expect to see a slow retreat from his past policies. Concerning cannabis, Biden has adopted a moderate stance compared to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, in which he supports decriminalization and medical marijuana—and letting states decide on recreational—but does not endorse full, federal-level legalization. Biden is likely to come under pressure to do so, now that the Democrats control the Senate and many governors are pushing for legalization to help raise revenues to fill budget shortfalls.
Perhaps the biggest change from previous policies, however, is Biden’s compassion for those struggling with drug addiction, and his commitment to expanding drug treatment instead of incarcerating low-level drug users. He is expected to propose a comprehensive $125 billion program over the next decade to address the opioid epidemic—a significant boost to current funding and the first major federal effort of this size and scope since the epidemic started more than two decades ago. Hopefully Biden can win approval of this desperately needed legislation, even as Congress grapples with the corona virus pandemic and a crippling economic downturn.