http://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/383293-longer-sentences-wont-stop-the-opioid-epidemic
"Fentanyl is a deadly drug and we must pursue those responsible for its manufacture and distribution in our country. But when we expanded penalties in the 1980s, it did nothing to stem the crack epidemic. Instead, we locked up thousands of people for low-level sale and use, at great financial and human cost, especially to communities of color. There is no reason to think harsher penalties for fentanyl would yield a different result and increasing penalties is unlikely to reduce the spread of fentanyl or reduce deaths."
It appears that law-makers and law enforcement are not on the same page. Law enforcement and public health officials need to join forces to pursue fresh approaches to the epidemic and avoid the mistakes of the past. Getting "tough on drugs" has not proven to ease the crisis, so how else can these officials prevent this problem?
Penalties have not worked. Treatment has to an extent. We would have to come up with multiple approaches to see what works best. At the moment lives are being lost and this crisis needs more attention. Educating the public is a place to start.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that whenever a drug crisis comes around, the US calls for harsher penalties. Drug dealers will still sell drugs if they have incentive to do so. Why not make it a less profitable thing for them to do? Whether that comes from legalization and regulation or providing quality care for people who deal with addiction, there is definitely a better way.
ReplyDeleteI think harsher penalties, just leads to more people not seeking help or treatment with their addiction due to the fear that they'll go to jail. A better approach definitely needs to be looked into, and tested because whatevers being done now is obviously not working.
ReplyDeleteBeing "tough on drugs" definitely doesn't help. But as Dreamland points out, the US has a culture of doctors being incentivized to find quick fixed to patients that express pain, and pills are the fastest way of doing so. After they run out of pills, patients turn to heroin. So maybe changing the culture of "over-prescribing" would help a bit? Dreamland also seems to nuance the previous book in that the suppliers of heroin are not necessarily violent groups, as we see with the example of Xalisco. So maybe violent groups would exist no matter what, and its groups like Xalisco that are only focused on drug distribution that disappear? I'm not sure
ReplyDeleteThere are many different factors contributing to the opioid crisis. A big one is big pharma's power within the medical industry. I don't know how at the moment, but it might be beneficial to look into ways to reduce big pharma's influence on doctor's and the prescriptions they are writing. Opioids need to be looked at in their application and there should be some sort of restructuring in how easily opioids are prescribed. Looking into other pain relief methods before opioids could prove beneficial.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for the day that US lawmakers stop looking at just what they've been unsuccessful with in the past, and maybe just maybe look at what seems to be working in the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteOur lawmakers are so adamant on the way they think. They will not consider facts and examples from others around the world. It's a shame.
ReplyDeleteInteresting stuff!
ReplyDeleteWith the debt our government is already facing, I feel the last thing we can afford is to expand our incarceration system. Great read.
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