News America's New Drug Policy

[RUC4]

America's New Drug Policy


NYT.com
By: German Lopez
4 May 2023

Excerpts:

For decades, the U.S. focused on trying to scare people away from drugs, instituting tough criminal penalties and emphasizing law enforcement over addiction treatment.
But a major change is underway.

The old approach failed to prevent an overdose crisis that now kills more than 100,000 Americans a year.

Lawmakers now often discuss drugs as a problem of public health, not just criminal justice...Some lawmakers have even embraced a once-radical strategy called harm reduction.

Republican strongholds, including Kentucky, Utah and Mississippi, recently decriminalized the test strips.

“My hope is that every person struggling with addiction has access to a quality recovery program and has the opportunity to gain and maintain long-term sobriety,” Representative Tom Oliverson, the Texas Republican who sponsored his state’s bill, told me. “But if they die instantly from a drug they didn’t even know they were taking, I can’t fix that. Nobody can.”

 

[RUC4]

F*cking finally people are starting to realize that this is a huge issue. But, maybe this will catch on and we can see changes coming quickly.
Why were the test strips illegal in the first place? Weird.

 

[ColoradoOpiateGirl]

Enough people have died that the strips are seen as necessary now. Can't even get a bag of COKE anymore without worrying if you're gonna fucking DIE. Hopefully this leads to some good old fashioned ass whoppings....sell me fent will ya?