America's Drug Crisis Shifts Beyond Opioids as Polysubstance Use Rises

Treatment efforts and policy responses complicated by increasing use of methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription medications alongside opioids

Over the last five years, overdose deaths involving methamphetamine have tripled and those linked to cocaine have doubled, indicating a shift in America's drug crisis beyond opioids.
People addicted to opioids are increasingly using other substances, including meth, cocaine and prescription medications like Valium and Xanax, a practice labeled as 'polysubstance use' by the CDC.
Polysubstance use is complicating treatment efforts and confounding state, local and federal policies, with 70-80% of people addicted to opioids also taking other illicit substances.
The rise of 'super meth', a synthetic methamphetamine mass-produced by Mexican drug lords, is particularly problematic as there is no approved medical treatment for meth addiction.
The Biden administration has been criticized for focusing primarily on opioid interventions and policing traffickers, while not addressing the growing use of meth and cocaine.