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The Opioid Epidemic and Federal Efforts to Address It: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report answers common questions that have arisen as drug overdose deaths in the United States continue to increase. It does not provide a comprehensive overview of opioid abuse as a public health or criminal justice issue. The report is divided into the following sections: Overview of Opioid Abuse; Overview of Opioid Supply; Select Federal Agencies and Programs that Address Opioid Abuse; Recent Legislation; and Opioid Abuse and State Policies.
Date: October 18, 2017
Creator: Sacco, Lisa N. & Bagalman, Erin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Marijuana Policy Gap and the Path Forward

Description: This report describes the federal response to state actions to decriminalize or legalize marijuana. It includes general information about marajuana and trends among states, the federal response, a discussion of the implications of legalization, and selected issues.
Date: March 10, 2017
Creator: Sacco, Lisa N.; Bagalman, Erin; Finklea, Kristin & Lowry, Sean
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Heroin Trafficking in the United States

Description: This report provides an overview of heroin trafficking into and within the United States. It includes a discussion of links between the trafficking of heroin and the illicit movement of related substances such as controlled prescription drugs and synthetic drugs like fentanyl. The report also outlines existing U.S. efforts to combat heroin trafficking and possible congressional considerations going forward.
Date: August 23, 2016
Creator: Finklea, Kristin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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2016 Rio Games: Anti-Doping Testing

Description: This report discusses the the anti-doping testing program during the 2016 Summer Olympics. Responsibility for the rests with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The testing period began July 24, 2016, when the Olympic village opened, and continues through August 21, 2016, the date of the closing ceremony.
Date: August 3, 2016
Creator: Halchin, L. E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (S. 524): Comparison of Senate- and House-Passed Versions

Description: This report discusses selected differences and similarities between the Senate- and House-passed versions of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA; S. 524), which aims to address the problem of opioid addiction in the United States. The two versions of the bill differ substantially. The scope of the differences may be illustrated by their structures: The Senate bill has 28 sections organized in 8 titles, whereas the House bill has 69 sections organized in 18 titles.
Date: May 23, 2016
Creator: Bagalman, Erin & Sacco, Lisa N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Active Opioid Legislation in the House: In Brief

Description: This report briefly summarizes opioid-related bills that were considered during "Opioid Week" (the week of May 9, 2016) The summaries in this report may be useful illustrations of the range of approaches Members of Congress have proposed to address the problem of opioid addiction.
Date: May 13, 2016
Creator: Bagalman, Erin; Sacco, Lisa N. & Rosen, Liana W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The World Drug Problem: UNGA Convenes for a Special Session

Description: This report briefly discusses the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which has convened in New York for a special session on "The World Drug Problem." It is the third time the UNGA will convene such a session on global drug issues. Previous special sessions on drugs were held in 1990 and 1998.
Date: April 20, 2016
Creator: Rosen, Liana W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Mexican Security Cooperation: The MĆ©rida Initiative and Beyond

Description: This report begins with a brief discussion of security challenges in Mexico and Mexico's security strategy. It then provides information on congressional funding and oversight of the MĆ©rida Initiative, with details about each of the program's four pillars. The report concludes by raising policy issues that Congress may wish to consider.
Date: January 5, 2016
Creator: Ribando Seelke, Clare & Finklea, Kristin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Mexican Security Cooperation: The MĆ©rida Initiative and Beyond

Description: This report begins with a brief discussion of security challenges in Mexico and Mexico's security strategy. It then provides updated information on congressional funding and oversight of the MĆ©rida Initiative before delving into its four pillars. The report concludes by raising policy issues that Congress may wish to consider as it continues to fund and oversee the MĆ©rida Initiative and broader U.S.-Mexican security cooperation.
Date: May 7, 2015
Creator: Ribando Seelke, Clare & Finklea, Kristin M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Marijuana: Medical and Retail-- Selected Legal Issues

Description: This report discusses the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) as it pertains to marijuana. The CSA outlaws the possession, cultivation, and distribution of marijuana except for authorized research. More than 20 states have regulatory schemes that allow possession, cultivation, and distribution of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause preempts any state law that conflicts with federal law.
Date: April 8, 2015
Creator: Garvey, Todd; Doyle, Charles & Carpenter, David H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits

Description: This report provides an overview of the Fourth Amendment in order to effectively evaluate the constitutionality of laws requiring suspicionless drug tests to receive governmental benefits. It then reviews five Supreme Court decisions that have evaluated these programs. The report concludes with a synthesis of the various factors that likely will be important to a future court's assessment of the constitutionality of these laws.
Date: March 6, 2015
Creator: Carpenter, David H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Prescription Drug Abuse

Description: This report examines prescription drug abuse in the United States. An estimated 6.8 million individuals currently abuse prescription drugs in the United States. Unlike policy on street drugs, federal policy on prescription drug abuse is complicated by the need to maintain access to prescription controlled substances (PCS) for legitimate medical use. The federal government has several roles in reducing prescription drug abuse.
Date: May 21, 2014
Creator: Bagalman, Erin; Sacco, Lisa N.; Thaul, Susan & Yeh, Brian T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Mexican Security Cooperation: The MĆ©rida Initiative and Beyond

Description: This report provides a framework for examining the current status and future prospects for U.S.- Mexican security cooperation. It begins with a brief discussion of the threat that drug trafficking and related crime and violence pose to both nations, followed by an analysis of the evolution of the MĆ©rida Initiative. The report then provides an overview of the PeƱa Nieto government's security strategy and how it is affecting the MĆ©rida Initiative. The report then examines key aspects of the curreā€¦ more
Date: April 8, 2014
Creator: Ribando Seelke, Clare & Finklea, Kristin M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Marijuana: Medical and Retail -- An Abbreviated View of Selected Legal Issues

Description: This report discusses the federal law regarding marijuana that is classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. The federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) outlaws the possession, cultivation, or distribution of marijuana except for authorized research.
Date: March 25, 2014
Creator: Garvey, Todd & Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs

Description: This report looks at ways that prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), which maintain statewide electronic databases of prescriptions dispensed for controlled substances, can help to deter prescription drug misuse.
Date: March 24, 2014
Creator: Finklea, Kristin M.; Bagalman, Erin & Sacco, Lisa N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits

Description: This report gives an overview of the issues related to federal or state laws that condition the initial or ongoing receipt of governmental benefits on passing drug tests. These regulations are vulnerable to constitutional challenge, most often due to issues of personal privacy and Fourth Amendment protections against "unreasonable searches."
Date: January 29, 2014
Creator: Carpenter, David H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Drug Control Policy: Background and U.S. Responses

Description: The report provides background information on drug cultivation, drug trafficking and the consequences of drug trade. This report discusses challenges created by the global illegal drug trade, including: undermining political and regional stability, bolstering the role and capabilities of transnational criminal organizations in the drug trade, and the burden caused by drug use an addition on local communities and economic development. In addition, this report discusses U.S. policy efforts to thwā€¦ more
Date: August 13, 2013
Creator: Wyler, Liana Sun
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Mexican Security Cooperation: The MĆ©rida Initiative and Beyond

Description: This report provides a framework for examining the current status and future prospects for U.S.- Mexican security cooperation. It begins with a brief discussion of the threat that drug trafficking and related crime and violence pose to both nations, followed by an analysis of the evolution of the MĆ©rida Initiative. The report then provides an overview of the PeƱa Nieto government's security strategy and how it is affecting the MĆ©rida Initiative. The report then examines key aspects of the curreā€¦ more
Date: June 12, 2013
Creator: Ribando Seelke, Clare & Finklea, Kristin M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Drug Testing and Crime-Related Restrictions in TANF, SNAP, and Housing Assistance

Description: This report describes and compares the drug- and crime-related policy restrictions contained in selected federal programs that provide assistance to low-income individuals and families: the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps), and the three primary federal housing assistance programs (the public housing program, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, and the project-based Section 8 rental aā€¦ more
Date: May 13, 2013
Creator: McCarty, Maggie; Falk, Gene; Aussenberg, Randy Alison & Carpenter, David H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Drug Offenses: Maximum Fines and Terms of Imprisonment for Violation of the Federal Controlled Substances Act and Related Laws

Description: This report is a chart of the maximum fines and terms of imprisonment that may be imposed as a consequence of conviction for violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and other drug supply and drug demand related laws.
Date: December 13, 2012
Creator: Yeh, Brian T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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