The Center for Drug Control Policy

The Center for Drug Control PolicyThe Center for Drug Control PolicyThe Center for Drug Control Policy

The Center for Drug Control Policy

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The Center for Drug Control Policy

The Center for Drug Control PolicyThe Center for Drug Control PolicyThe Center for Drug Control Policy

Advancing the next era of drug policy

Data Briefs

About

The Center for Drug Control Policy was founded on the assumption that the drug policy field has misunderstood the drug crisis. While leaders in the field have rightly focused on reducing the number of overdose deaths, they have seemingly overlooked non-overdose harms, as evidenced by their policy goals.


Although there have been minor differences between presidential administrations, federal policy goals have recently transitioned through three broad stages: from focusing on criminal justice measures like arrests and drug seizures, to focusing on reducing the prevalence of drug use (Bush 41, Clinton, and Bush 43), then to focusing on reducing the number of overdose deaths (Obama, Trump 45, and Biden). For example, the Trump administration’s 2020 National Drug Control Strategy stated that “this Strategy is focused on achieving a singular and overarching purpose: to prevent Americans from dying of a drug overdose.” Now, beyond working to reduce an incomplete list of harms, the drug policy field should work to reduce all health-related harms attributable to drugs.


The CDC reported that there were 105,007 drug overdose deaths in 2023. This number is often cited by experts as the extent of the drug crisis. However, in addition to these 105,007 deaths, which recorded drug overdose as the underlying cause of death, 7,099 deaths recorded it as a contributing cause of death. Looking past overdoses, more than 100 drug-induced conditions, such as drug-induced osteoporosis, can be cited as the underlying or contributing cause of death. When these non-overdose conditions are included, the number of drug-related deaths in 2023 rises to 447,749. Millions of Americans also experience non-fatal health loss due to drugs, including more than 27 million who had a drug use disorder in 2023.


Run by volunteers, the Center for Drug Control Policy will produce research that will inform discussions about the drug crisis. The Center for Drug Control Policy is committed to reducing the burden of harm attributable to drugs by supporting interventions across the continuum of care.

Connor Kubeisy, Director

Heather Soucy, Deputy Director

Heather Soucy, Deputy Director

Connor Kubeisy holds an appointment as a Department Associate with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and began his career as an intern in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy during the Trump and Biden administrations. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley and received an MPH from Harvard, where he led

Connor Kubeisy holds an appointment as a Department Associate with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and began his career as an intern in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy during the Trump and Biden administrations. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley and received an MPH from Harvard, where he led the Harvard Chan Student Drug Policy Forum, served as a Teaching Fellow for a graduate-level class on political strategy, and won the university-wide Student Employee of the Year Award.

Heather Soucy, Deputy Director

Heather Soucy, Deputy Director

Heather Soucy, Deputy Director

Heather Soucy works as a Case Examiner with a law firm in Boston. She worked as an emergency department nurse from 2018 to 2025, where she saw firsthand the effects of the drug crisis on vulnerable populations throughout the country. She also helps to lead the Massachusetts chapter of The Naloxone Project, which distributes free naloxone 

Heather Soucy works as a Case Examiner with a law firm in Boston. She worked as an emergency department nurse from 2018 to 2025, where she saw firsthand the effects of the drug crisis on vulnerable populations throughout the country. She also helps to lead the Massachusetts chapter of The Naloxone Project, which distributes free naloxone to communities. In addition to being certified as an RN and CEN, she received an MSN from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Marcus Edelstein, Assistant

Heather Soucy, Deputy Director

Marcus Edelstein, Assistant

Marcus Edelstein worked as a Communications and Data Specialist for a small organization focused on raising awareness about the harms of marijuana, where he created resources that have been referenced by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), members of Congress, and the Daily Mail, among others. He also has experience working for pub

Marcus Edelstein worked as a Communications and Data Specialist for a small organization focused on raising awareness about the harms of marijuana, where he created resources that have been referenced by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), members of Congress, and the Daily Mail, among others. He also has experience working for public opinion research firms. An individual in recovery from cannabis use disorder, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburg with a BS in statistics.

Marcia Fudge, Advisor

Heather Soucy, Deputy Director

Marcus Edelstein, Assistant

Marcia Fudge served as the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. From 2008 to 2021, she was the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 11th Congressional District, where she chaired the Congressional Black Caucus. Prior to that, she served two terms as the Mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio. In 2025, she was a M

Marcia Fudge served as the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. From 2008 to 2021, she was the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 11th Congressional District, where she chaired the Congressional Black Caucus. Prior to that, she served two terms as the Mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio. In 2025, she was a Menschel Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She received a BA from The Ohio State University and a JD from the Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall School of Law.

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