The United States is in the midst
of a drug overdose crisis.
In 2014, an average of
129 people died each day
from drug overdoses.
Overdoses have surpassed automobile accidents
as the leading cause of injury-related death.
The "War on Drugs" approach isn't working
because it treats addiction as a crime
rather than as a health problem.
But some local justice systems are changing
how they address drug use with proven strategies
known as harm reduction.
Here are some examples of what it looks like in practice.
Syringe exchange programs provide access to
clean needles to reduce the spread of
infectious diseases.
Police can support syringe exchanges
by letting people use them without fear of arrest
Medications such as methadone or Suboxone
relieve withdrawal symptoms and minimize cravings.
Drug courts can refer participants
to these types of treatments
instead of insisting on abstinence.
Statistics show when people who use drugs
leave prison or jail and return to the community
they are at a high risk for dying from overdose...
The opioid antidote Naloxone
can reverse an overdose and save lives
some prisons and jails already provided Naloxone
to people upon release
and this practice could be expanded.
Implementing harm reduction strategies
in the justice system
means challenging long-standing attitudes
about crime and addiction.
But with so many lives at stake
it's time for a new normal
with more effective and compassionate approaches
to people who use drugs.
