{"id":134115,"date":"2024-12-06T21:53:53","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T14:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134115"},"modified":"2024-12-06T21:53:53","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T14:53:53","slug":"most-in-us-view-substance-use-as-health-issue-but-many-states-treat-it-as-crime-us-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134115","title":{"rendered":"Most in US view substance use as health issue, but many states treat it as crime | US news"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">New polling data from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lac.org\/assets\/files\/natl-polling-factsheet-messaging-and-tables.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Legal Action Center <\/a>shows that more Americans than ever think substance use should be treated as a health issue, rather than a criminal justice issue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">But many state and federal laws continue to criminalize substance use \u2013 more than half of states <a href=\"https:\/\/drugpolicy.org\/decriminalization-legislation\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">still treat drug possession as a felony<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The Legal Action Center poll revealed that in 2024, 75% of Americans thought that substance use disorders (SUD) \u201cshould be treated more as a health problem than a criminal problem\u201d, compared with 67% in 2019. The poll also showed rising support for increased spending and access for SUD treatment, including in jails and prisons.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"9fd690af-f7c0-47e6-8e61-186a614c5e38\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-1your1i\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:3,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Anti-opioid groups are \u2018optimistic\u2019 about Trump\u2019s tariffs. Will the move help tackle the fentanyl crisis?&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;9fd690af-f7c0-47e6-8e61-186a614c5e38&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/dec\/02\/trump-tarrifs-anti-opioid-groups&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:0,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Gabrielle de la Gu\u00e9ronni\u00e8re, vice-president for health and policy at the Legal Action Center, says she was \u201creally pleased\u201d with the results \u201cacross different party and demographic lines\u201d and that it was \u201cgood to see in such a time where there\u2019s so much division\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">There isn\u2019t quite the same level of unity when it comes to actual policies on substance use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Maritza Perez Medina, director of federal affairs at Drug Policy Alliance, says changes in policy on overdose prevention and drug criminalization are a \u201cmixed bag\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cWe\u2019ve seen some really good progress on getting more folks on board with supporting some harm-reduction approaches like fentanyl test strips and Naloxone expansion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The Biden administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2024\/03\/13\/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-launches-the-white-house-challenge-to-save-lives-from-overdose\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">dramatically expanded access to naloxone<\/a>, an overdose-reversal medication, including by making it available over the counter. Some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhcs.ca.gov\/individuals\/Pages\/Naloxone_Distribution_Project.aspx\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">jurisdictions<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicago.gov\/city\/en\/depts\/cdph\/provdrs\/healthy_communities\/news\/2022\/december\/chicago-department-of-public-health-and-chicago-public-library-e.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">including Chicago<\/a>, have made naloxone and fentanyl test strips free to the public. And several states <a href=\"https:\/\/www.astho.org\/advocacy\/state-health-policy\/legislative-prospectus-series\/overdose\/#:~:text=Of%20those%20at%20least%20seven,legislation%20decriminalizing%20fentanyl%20test%20strips.\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">decriminalized drug-checking equipment<\/a>, including fentanyl test strips in 2023, but some still <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0376871622001624\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">forbid drug checking.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Some policies intended to increase SUD treatment access have been around for a long time, but local and federal governments often fail to provide sufficient funding and attention to make the most of those policies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cOur field has really been able to do a lot with very little in terms of resources, relying for many years just on discretionary money now and again,\u201d de la Gu\u00e9ronni\u00e8re said, adding that governments need to invest in longer-term measures, including efforts to recruit and train medical professionals who can treat mental health and substance use disorders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Even outside of SUD treatment, <a href=\"https:\/\/bhw.hrsa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/bureau-health-workforce\/Behavioral-Health-Workforce-Brief-2023.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">there is a shortage<\/a> of behavioral health workers in the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Deborah Steinberg, a health policy attorney with Legal Action Center, notes that insurance companies have largely failed to comply with a 2008 law intended to increase access to SUD treatment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act \u201crequires non-discriminatory health insurance coverage of mental health and SUD treatment\u201d, said Steinberg, so insurance companies essentially have to cover these services \u201cin a way that is comparable to how they cover medical and surgical benefits\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">But, Steinberg said, insurance companies almost universally fail to follow these requirements. The American Medical Association\u2019s annual report on the overdose crisis, released <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ama-assn.org\/press-center\/press-releases\/new-report-calls-urgent-action-combat-overdose-epidemic\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">last<\/a> month, repeatedly accused insurance companies of violating federal laws that require them to cover SUD treatment. New rules intended to more strictly enforce compliance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/ebsa\/about-ebsa\/our-activities\/resource-center\/fact-sheets\/final-rules-under-the-mental-health-parity-and-addiction-equity-act-mhpaea\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">go into effect next year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Laws that further criminalize drug use are also making it more difficult for people who use drugs to access care, and could also lead to more overdoses, said Medina. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0376871620302532\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Research shows<\/a> that people are as much as 40 times <a href=\"https:\/\/ajph.aphapublications.org\/doi\/abs\/10.2105\/AJPH.2018.304514?journalCode=ajph\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">more likely<\/a> to overdose after experiencing incarceration, and very few jails and prisons <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthaffairs.org\/doi\/10.1377\/hlthaff.2017.0890\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">provide access to SUD treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The Biden administration continued a Trump era policy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2021\/10\/22\/nearly-100-groups-oppose-bidens-plan-make-misguided-temporary-drug-criminalization#_ftn6\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">criminalizing fentanyl and its analogues,<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jama-health-forum\/fullarticle\/2800863\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">multiple states<\/a> have toughened their fentanyl laws in recent years. For example, Colorado <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2022\/05\/11\/colorados-new-fentanyl-law-explained\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">passed a law in 2022<\/a> that lowered the threshold for felony possession of fentanyl from 4 grams to 1 gram. <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10840895\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Researchers predict<\/a> this change will lead to over 5,000 overdose deaths in five years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cIf you want to actually treat addiction and problematic drug use as a health issue, it\u2019s hypocritical then to want to throw individuals who use drugs in an incarcerated setting,\u201d said Medina, \u201cbecause we know that that doesn\u2019t do anything to actually solve what is, at the end of the day, a health issue, and in fact diverts resources away from the systems of support that people really need.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/dec\/06\/substance-use-drug-possession-felony-health-issue-poll\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New polling data from the Legal Action Center shows that more Americans than ever think substance use should be treated as a health issue, rather than a criminal justice issue. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134115\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134115\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}