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Robert Kent (Courtesy photo)

For nearly two decades, I have been deeply involved in drug policy at both the state and federal levels – serving first at the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and later as general counsel in the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy.

I’ve witnessed firsthand the catastrophic misuse of prescribed opioids that have claimed more than 80,000 lives from the rise of illicitly manufactured fentanyl alone.

But despite the daily horrors that opioid misuse ripples across communities, I believe we are on the cusp of a potentially transformative moment where the potential rescheduling of marijuana and the realization of Medicare innovation might provide seniors with a non-opioid alternative to treat many age-related medical conditions.

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