What lessons does this have to offer addiction and psychiatric treatment? Last year 41 million colds were erroneously treated with antibiotics because doctors were unwilling to confront patients who demanded drugs. Patients show up with a cold, don’t like to be told that their illness will just have to run its course, demand antibiotics, and … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
Category: Policy
Harsh enforcement has failed
This Foreign Policy article provides a concise snapshot of the failure of the "harsh enforcement" approach to drug policy: As a domestic policy, a harsh enforcement approach has done little to control drug use, but has done a lot to lock up a growing portion of the U.S. population. Cocaine and opiate prices are about half … Continue reading Harsh enforcement has failed
Evidence-based policy wrong-headed
Keith Humphreys rejects the notion of evidence based policy: ...what we do with scientific evidence is always a political and moral judgment. We don’t provide health care to the sick because the evidence forces us to. We provide health care to the sick because such activity is in keeping with our values. Likewise, we might choose to … Continue reading Evidence-based policy wrong-headed
Only 2.6% of welfare applicants test positive
Not surprisingly, drug testing of welfare recipients does not confirm the assumptions of supporters: Of the 4,086 applicants who scheduled drug tests while the law was enforced, 108 people, or 2.6 percent, failed, most often testing positive for marijuana. About 40 people scheduled tests but canceled them, according to the Department of Children and Families, … Continue reading Only 2.6% of welfare applicants test positive
Why we can’t agree
The Obama administration just released their annual drug control strategy report and all the headlines say it emphasizes treatment over incarceration. Sounds great, but the stories are short on details. Others, from the Drug Policy Alliance are dismissing it as more of the same. More of the same? Really? I think Obama's safely within the … Continue reading Why we can’t agree
Criminal charges before and after initiation of buprenorphine maintenance
I would have thought this was a softball in support of buprenorphine. But, no: Among subjects with prior criminal charges, initiation of office-based buprenorphine treatment did not appear to have a significant impact on subsequent criminal charges. The paper gets a little says that this lack of effect includes drug charges. I'm no fan of … Continue reading Criminal charges before and after initiation of buprenorphine maintenance
Nicotine replacement ineffective
A recent study found nicotine replacement ineffective: In the prospective cohort study the researchers, including lead author Hillel Alpert, research scientist at HSPH, and co-author Lois Biener of the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Center for Survey Research, followed 787 adult smokers in Massachusetts who had recently quit smoking. The participants were surveyed over three time … Continue reading Nicotine replacement ineffective
Almost alcoholic?
This article demonstrates a big problem in understanding addiction and the a big problem in the current diagnostic categories. ...when we think about alcohol abuse or alcoholism, our thoughts often go to situations like this where someone is at a stage where they are doing immediate damage to themselves or others, but what about the … Continue reading Almost alcoholic?
Opiate use soars
The AP has a story on the explosion of prescription opiate sales: Nationwide, pharmacies received and ultimately dispensed the equivalent of 69 tons of pure oxycodone and 42 tons of pure hydrocodone in 2010, the last year for which statistics are available. That's enough to give 40 5-mg Percocets and 24 5-mg Vicodins to every person in … Continue reading Opiate use soars
The 3 worst arguments for marijuana legalization
Pro-legalization Reason recently posted an intellectually honest article picking apart 3 arguments frequently used by their allies: 3. Legalizing Marijuana Will End Cartel Violence in Northern Mexico 2. Marijuana Should Be Taxed and Regulated Because It Is America’s Largest Cash Crop 1.) Marijuana Should Be Legal Because It’s Medicine Reasonable people can disagree about marijuana … Continue reading The 3 worst arguments for marijuana legalization
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