News Biden’s Drug Czar Is Leading the Charge for a ‘Harm Reduction’ Approach

[thegreenhand]

Biden’s Drug Czar Is Leading the Charge for a ‘Harm Reduction’ Approach​

Noah Weiland
New York Times
26 Jul 2022

Excerpt:

MANCHESTER, N.H. — During a recent interview here, Dr. Rahul Gupta, President Biden’s drug czar, appeared to be on the verge of supporting a radical shift in U.S. drug control policy.

Asked for his views on supervised consumption sites, where users bring their own drugs to take under the supervision of trained workers in case they overdose — a concept accepted in Canada and Europe but still technically illegal in the United States under federal law — Dr. Gupta’s eyes lit up. Then he paused, catching himself, and said he could not weigh in yet.

The Justice Department is expected to soon decide whether one planned site that it blocked three years ago can operate, giving more insight into the Biden administration’s views on the concept. Many public health experts believe it could help stem a record number of overdose deaths largely caused by synthetic fentanyl.

“All of us are enthusiastically waiting” for the department to weigh in, Dr. Gupta said.

Support for supervised consumption from the Biden administration would be a major turning point in how the government addresses an epidemic of addiction and overdoses that has endured for decades and now claims more than 100,000 lives a year. Instead of discouraging drug use, such sites aim to keep users from dying, with trained personnel providing syringes and other sterile equipment for using drugs and working to reverse overdoses on the spot.

 

[thegreenhand]

I remember when he shut down the syringe exchanges in Charleston

I guess it’s good that he owned up to the mistake. Hopefully the lesson has been fully learned

But I don’t expect any newly HIV positive people in WV to forgive him…

 

[Madrus]

Much better than the previous.
Watching him being interviewed is frustrating
(starts @ 28:43)

 

[Engage]

Good.
I admit it, I freeeely admit it: I was one of the dumbasses shilling nonstop against Biden.
And let's not beat around the bush it's been a mixed bag (esp foreign policy-wise, in my humble opinion).
That said, sorta weird for me to be more "pro-Biden" than many of the ...Democrats I was arguing with online circa 2020.
Anyways, this is good, some might cautiously say 'great' news! Still feel we're, at best, 50-100 years away from a non-punitive, non-hierarchical "substance abuse recovery / mental 'illness' healthcare system"...but eeeevery once in a great while a beam of light shines through and TG there is progress on some fronts. People can change and so can government policy.

Now if they'd just quit seizing racetams at customs (illegally?) for those of us looking for a healthier, 'better' meth alternative?
Ah, but baby step. Baby steps.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Well in next few years cause if already mentioned "Bidens" (that man doesn't know is he alive, dead or sleeping) foreign policy there will be a great need for such sites. I see pretty disturbing 2-5 years and many people will need anesthesia. Mostly fentanyl based... So yeah, it would be smart to think this one through very fast. As they don't seem keen to stop horror show in Ukraine. But that's a topic for another subforum. All in all - even in some balkan countries you are not criminally charged for possession of drugs for personal use. 3G of heroin or coke is resolved by monetary punishment. About halve of average monthly income or at most by one monthly income. So you guys and gals have long way to walk. But it was yours idea to start "war on drugs" and I am hoping that stop to this lunatic policy will come earlier rather than later. One step at a time...