Drugs should not be in the hands of organized crime
Regulation cannot make drugs entirely safe but well-designed regulation does reduce risk, particularly if it is not ruled by free-market impulses
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Drug overdoses are one of the leading causes of death in the United States and are contributing to decline in life expectancy. The opioid epidemic has cost an estimated $1 trillion since 2001. And yet, to date, there has been no comprehensive response to the crisis. The US needs to embrace the policies that have helped reverse heroin epidemics in the past, especially opioid substitution therapy (instead of the focus on immediate abstinence) and harm-reduction services (needle and syringe programs, drug checking, wide availability of overdose reversal medication, and safe-injection facilities). Decriminalization also has been linked to better health outcomes, allowing people in need to access, without fear of harsh punishment, these various life-saving services.
