It was always stupid to make alcohol ubiquitous during the pandemic. In the early days of the pandemic, two things shocked and dismayed me above other...

The neighborhood’s afflictions date to the early 1970s, when industry left and the drug trade took hold. With each new wave of drugs, the situation grows grimmer. Now, with the arrival of xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer, new complications are burdening an already overtaxed system.

Yesterday marked the 36th year that the world observed World No Tobacco Day. This relatively obscure milestone masks a stalled effort to curb consumption of combustible cigarettes and other nicotine-related products. It’s unlikely most people paid any attention. But the impact of smoking is all around us, even if we don’t see it. Statistics rarely tell a provocative story to compel people to action.

Kratom is a a highly addictive, unregulated drug. It has been brought into the US by importers, often via illegal routes, for the last decade and is frequently seized by the FDA and destroyed