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Judging by the daily headlines and late-night television conversations, there’s not much that Republicans and Democrats agree on. But as governors from two different sides of the political spectrum and the country, we know there are many issues that affect us all. One is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat, if you’re from Massachusetts or Montana. The truth is that even if you are someone who does not develop Alzheimer’s, almost everyone could someday find themselves caring for a loved one with the disease. Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in America, and the only leading cause of death in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed. (Governors Steve Bullock (D-Montana) and Charlie Baker (R-Mass.), 7/24)

Pot shops will soon be officially open for business in Massachusetts. While this may be good news for the marijuana industry and its lobbyists, state officials need to proceed with caution — especially when regulating high-potency pot products such as gummies, lollipops, and other treats aimed at children. The fact is that we really don’t know what’s in these products, nor do we know about their long-term effects. More awareness is desperately needed about the dangers of today’s highly potent marijuana. Public health — not the pot industry — should be leading this conversation. (Kevin Sabet, 7/24)  

The opioid crisis is devastating families and communities across the country. To tackle this emergency and reduce the number of overdose deaths, Congress is considering an extensive package of bipartisan legislation to address various specific aspects of the crisis. As they search for solutions, lawmakers would do well to examine the innovative strategies several states have adopted to expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which combines Food and Drug Administration-approved medications with behavioral therapies such as counseling. Experts agree MAT is the most effective way to manage opioid use disorder, but the strategies for delivering this evidence-based treatment vary—as evidenced by successful approaches taken by states as demographically diverse as Rhode Island, Virginia, Indiana, and Wisconsin. (Allan Coukell, 7/24)

In the 1990s, the United States was among the first countries to start granting sanctuary to LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers fleeing persecution stemming from their sexual orientation or gender identity in their home countries. Now the Trump administration, intent on turning back the clock on almost every major facet of immigration policy, is increasingly complicit in their mistreatment. As administration officials have intensified their efforts to hollow out the asylum system — narrowing eligibility criteria, creating bottlenecks for would-be asylum seekers at legal ports of entry and tearing apart families as a means of deterring future applicants — LGBTQ individuals have suffered inordinately. (7/24)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency admitted this month that it failed to prepare properly to mobilize the robust response that Puerto Rico needed. Today, about 1,000 Puerto Rican families taking part in FEMA’s transitional housing program are still living on the brink of homelessness as a result of the storm, and that doesn’t include evacuees who have likely gotten lost in the system as we saw after Hurricane Katrina. (Ana Marie Argilagos, Aaron Dorfman and Nelson I. Colón, 7/24)

In a First Opinion piece on how blockchain technologies could affect health care and the life sciences, its landscape map included 48 projects covering areas like decentralized health records and data marketplaces. Just six months later, the map has tripled in size, covering nearly 150 projects that have raised more than $660 million in private and blockchain-funded (crypto) markets. (Andy Coravos and Noah Zimmerman, 7/25)

In the midst of St. Louis County’s opioid epidemic, we find ourselves in a criminal justice crisis. Drug addiction is a disease, not a crime. Prosecutors must stop packing our jails and prisons with those who need treatment, not punishment. The effect of this overcriminalization is undeniable: Nine out of every 10 people in Missouri’s correction centers need addiction treatment. In fact, 35 percent of the new admissions to state prison in 2017 were explicitly sent to receive help with their addictions. (Jeffrey A. Mittman, 7/24)

An Arizona law that allows an unrelated third party to get between a patient and a doctor’s orders should be repealed. The so-called “conscience clause” is an invitation to interference by pharmacists into medical decisions they know nothing about – and should not be questioning. (7/24)

Councilwoman Jolie Justus has introduced an ordinance that would prevent landlords from evicting tenants or their dependents who are victims of domestic abuse or stalking. ...This provision is obviously essential for stalking victims. (7/24)