While I’m sure we are all aware of the rapid news cycle and due to the recent change in the White House Administration, SSDP’s Science Policy Committee wanted to take a moment to share some information as it relates to the mission of the Committee. Part of the work we’ve done previously is advocate for increasing scientific funding and create factsheets on drug policy and criminal justice reform bills. The science we do as researchers can and does impact policy, but policy also impacts the research we do in many ways. Many scientists feel uncertain at this time, especially with the government grants and funding freeze – and the lack of clear information related to all of it – but we wanted to provide action items and resources that may help turn some of the feelings into action. 

• Contact your Congresspeople, state legislators, university officials and other stakeholders that benefit from research. Explain how freezing, cutting and government interference with determining who gets funding impacts science. Use your non-university affiliated email. You can check your elected officials here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
  1. Template 1 (more general)
  2. Template 2 (more personal)

• As trainees, inquire with your PI about your funding situation and ask to be involved in the conversations as more information is received, as this can directly impact your training goals, graduation or career timeline, etc.
  1. Many institutions have a contract with PIs that state if a student is unable to be funded and is in the middle of their project, the department will cover the student. Ask your PI about employment protections. 
  2. Many training grants also have protections, but these may be taken away depending on the type of research being done. Double-check with your PI and funding sources if you are on a diversity related supplement, or if your research is under any of the specific categories the government is trying to cut (which in some instances may include drug and alcohol research)
  3. For postdoctoral researchers, review your offer letter, employment contract, postdoctoral office/union policies, etc. Similar to above, contact your PI, Department Chair, or postdoctoral office/union for clarification about how your employment is being handled.
  4. Know your rights as an employee. If your payment is paused and you are expected to continue working, ask the offices how they will supplement your income and contact your unions (if you have them) for advice.

• At any level of researcher/scientist, inquire to your institution about funding issues and what the institution is planning to do in response, specifically if you think your education and funding will be impacted by the attempts to cut anything related to DEI efforts.
  1. Emailing the office of research, or vice president office for research, about why it’s important they uphold values that support your own research.
  2. Similarly, you can contact other professional organizations you are a part of and encourage them to push back on the federal freeze and ask them to continue to hold their values.
  3. Template here

• Know the laws in your state and familiarize yourself with the federal laws related to research. Many things are protected by Congress, so we urge you to become familiar with those things to have productive and informed conversations.
  1. For example, the Office of Research on Women’s Health (the first Public Health Service office dedicated specifically to promoting women’s health) was affirmed by Congress in a statute by the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Public Law No. 103-43, Section 486). Therefore, this Office should remain protected by Congress.

We want to provide some context as to how studying diversity in populations impacts policy decisions. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather gives some statistics to demonstrate the intersection between scientific and public health research and public policy reform. The federal freeze makes it more difficult for researchers to study populations who are the most affected by the war on drugs, how our current policies affect certain populations, and could pause clinical trials investigating new treatments for substance use disorders, overdose reversal, etc. 

Check out our fact sheet below to use in your letters, discussions and educational opportunities:

In 2021, in the U.S., Black or African American (17.2%) and White Americans (17.0%) had equal prevalence of Substance Use Disorders, while American Indian or Alaska Native (27.6%) or Multiracial people (25.9%) had higher instances of Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Despite these numbers, White people had the highest estimate of past year illicit drug use treatment utilization at any location among people aged 12 or older who needed treatment (23.5 percent) compared with the estimates for all other racial/ethnic groups except American Indian or Alaska Native. (SAMSHA 2021, 2019)

• Federal grant funding lets researchers investigate potential reasons that White Americans utilized treatment facilities at higher proportions than the rest of the population or how to increase access for underserved communities. 

A disproportionate number of people of color are arrested or incarcerated for drug-related offenses. Approximately 57% of people incarcerated in state prisons and 77% of people incarcerated in federal prisons for drug offenses are Black or Latino, compared to 30% of the U.S. population. (source: DPA)

• Grant dollars can be used to study what policies are in place that lead to the disparate arrests or sentencing lengths between people of color.

Though many more men are in prison than women, the rate of growth for female imprisonment has been twice as high as that of men since 1980. Further, 25% of women in prison have been convicted of a drug offense, compared to 12% of men in prison. (source: Sentencing Project)

• What are the average sentences for men and women convicted for non-violent drug crimes, how do the sentences vary between ethnic groups, or how does the future income of children with parents incarcerated for drug offenses differ from those arrested for other crimes?

In prisons, 33.3% of women and 5.5% of men identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, compared to 7.6% and 6.8%, respectively, in the general population. In jails, 26.4% of women and 3.3% of men identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. Among minors in youth justice facilities in 2019, 20% identified as LGBTQ+, representing approximately 7,300 people. By comparison, only 9.5% of youth ages 13 to 17 in the general population identify as LGBTQ+. (source: Sentencing Project)

• What factors lead to a higher proportion of LGBTQIA+ persons in prisons relative to the general population? What other social determinants of health lead to this disparity?

DEI includes people with both physical and cognitive disabilities, which are also largely affected by the war on drugs. Among people in state and federal prisons in 2016, an estimated 40.4% reported a psychiatric disability, and 56.0% reported a non-psychiatric disability. A higher estimated percentage of incarcerated women reported disability (79.5%) compared with incarcerated men (64.6%). Although roughly 26% of the general population in the US was disabled as of 2018, it is estimated that disabled people make up around two-thirds of the state and federal prison population. (source: Health Affairs)

• What is currently being done within systems to support those with disabilities? How can conditions be improved? 
• Why are people with disabilities being incarcerated at higher rates and how many of these are related to non-violent crimes?

In terms of treatments for OUD, persons with a disability are 40% less likely to be prescribed medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) than those with no disability. Black Americans are 72% less likely to be prescribed buprenorphine for OUD than White Americans. (source: PubMed)

• What factors lead to the disparity in prescribing, and what legislation or policies can lead to a reduction in prescribing variance?

SSDP is the home for all students interested in working to end the war on drugs. The war on drugs is a war on families, science, social mobility, and a war against freedom. SSDP is an organization of outstanding change makers. We encourage discussion about how changes to scientific funding impacts a myriad of social issues from policing to development of medicine and to the implementation of policies which affect a population’s economic mobility and security. 

We encourage everyone to stay vigilant, as things continue to change daily. We also encourage everyone to take care of themselves during this time. Turn doom scrolling into action, turn off your phone, escape into the wilderness. In this time of uncertainty, if you need someone to speak to, please reach out. Our national organization is here to support you all outside of Ending the War On Drugs. 

Thank you,

Alaina & Joe

Co-chairs of SSDP’s Science Policy Committee