When it comes to the war on drugs, there\u2019s no need for further research to prove that such criminalization has disproportionately impacted communities of color, a top federal drug official said in a new interview.<\/p>\n
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow has on several recent occasions discussed the harms of the drug war<\/a> and the need to take an alternative approach, in part by decriminalizing substance misuse and promoting treatment through a public health-focused model.<\/p>\n Now, the official spoke to the scientific journal publisher Springer Nature about a variety of drug policy issues in an interview and authored a new op-ed for Scientific American. The overarching themes again concern the current criminalization and stigmatizing approach to drugs and the need for a policy change.<\/p>\n NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow discusses her recent Perspective published in @npp_journal<\/a>, on how criminalizing drug use disproportionately harms Black communities & exacerbates health disparities with the Executive Editor @SpringerNature<\/a>.https:\/\/t.co\/DYYVcB445Y<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NIDAnews (@NIDAnews) August 26, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n While there are several possible iterations of decriminalization that could replace the existing system, Volkow said in the interview published last week that one thing is apparent: the war on drugs has had outsized consequences for minority communities, and that alone should be reason to reevaluate the country\u2019s law enforcement-centric policies on drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is clear that the United States is currently reckoning with a long history of discriminatory and racist policies, many of which still continue today,\u201d Volkow said<\/a>. \u201cThe War on Drugs was no exception, and by incarcerating Black people at disproportionately high rates, it has had radiating effects into health, economic security and mobility, education, housing, families\u2014areas intrinsically connected with the well-being and success of so many Black and other people of color.\u201d<\/p>\n The top drug science official said that there\u2019s no need for additional studies to shed light on the harms of criminalization.<\/p>\n \u201cIn science, we often must say that we don\u2019t yet have an answer, that \u2018more research is needed,’\u201d she added. \u201cBut the evidence here is straightforward and solid, and needs to inform an urgent conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n That conversation has been happening for decades in advocacy and civil rights circles\u2014and there are legislative efforts that have been introduced and enacted to help repair the harms of the drug war\u2014but it\u2019s a notable call-to-action from the nation\u2019s leading drug official.<\/p>\n In @sciam<\/a>, Dr. Volkow describes the radical changes needed in the United States to address drug overdose following 2020\u2019s horrific increase in deaths. https:\/\/t.co\/gEnAumLSW4<\/a> #IOAD21<\/a> #EndOverdose<\/a> #OverdoseAwarenessWeek<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/nEFlF8OCXb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NIDAnews (@NIDAnews) August 31, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Volkow was also asked if she felt there was \u201cconsensus\u201d on the need to shift to a public health approach to substance misuse, and she responded that there\u2019s \u201cserious work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is stigma associated with drug use and addiction that is deeply ingrained in culture and society around the world. Many diseases, particularly mental health disorders, are stigmatized,\u201d she said. \u201cAs humans, we are taught to fear sickness, and to alienate what is different from us. But this is a losing proposition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe all get sick, we all have needs, and we all benefit from a system that works to treat diseases and conditions with evidence-based care and compassion,\u201d she continued. \u201cMaking this cognitive shift will likely be critical to achieving the political will to implement a widespread public health approach.\u201d<\/p>\n She also talked about the record-high drug overdose deaths that the U.S. experienced in 2020 and said that highlighted the need to \u201cre-evaluate how we are addressing drug use.\u201d Volkow said \u201cthe science provides some answers as to what is working and isn\u2019t regarding the issue of criminalization.\u201d<\/p>\n Volkow further discussed the overdose epidemic in an op-ed published by Scientific American on Tuesday. She said that record-high overdose deaths in 2020 should tell us \u201cthat something is wrong,\u201d and that the data is \u201cshouting for change.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is no longer a question of \u2018doing more\u2019 to combat our nation\u2019s drug problems. What we as a society are doing\u2014putting people with drug addiction behind bars, underinvesting in prevention and compassionate medical care\u2014is not working,\u201d she said<\/a>. \u201cEven as we work to create better scientific solutions to this crisis, it is beyond frustrating\u2014it is tragic\u2014to see the effective prevention and treatment tools we already have just not being used.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe must eliminate the attitudes and infrastructure barring treating people with substance use disorders\u2026 The science of the matter is unequivocal: Addiction is a chronic and treatable medical condition, not a weakness of will or character or a form of social deviance. But stigma and longstanding prejudices\u2014even within healthcare\u2014lead decision-makers across healthcare, criminal justice, and other systems to punish people who use drugs rather than treat them.\u201d<\/p>\n She added<\/a> that harm reduction services like syringe exchange programs \u201cneed to be a part of any solution to our drug crisis, as these have been shown to reduce HIV and hepatitis C transmission, and help link people to treatment for addiction and other conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n And researchers are evaluating whether \u201cinnovative but historically controversial strategies\u201d such as safe consumption sites where people can use illegal drugs under medical supervision can be cost-effective and \u201creduce deaths and improve health.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe risk of incarceration does not deter drug use, let alone address addiction; it perpetuates stigma, and disproportionately harms the most vulnerable communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cRadical change to save lives is long overdue,\u201d Volkow wrote. \u201cIt is crucial that scientists help policymakers and other leaders rethink how we collectively address drugs and drug use, looking to the evidence base of what improves health and reduces harms across communities, and funding research to develop new prevention and treatment tools.\u201d<\/p>\n The NIDA director has recently written<\/a>\u00a0several other op-eds on this and related issues<\/a>. And in a podcast interview with Drug Policy Alliance founder Ethan Nadelmann that aired last week, she acknowledged that marijuana legalization has not led to increased youth use<\/a> despite her prior fears, and she spoke about the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics that have long been deemed \u201cdangerous\u201d under federal law.<\/p>\n When it comes to cannabis, Volkow has repeatedly stressed that the existing federal regulatory scheme has created significant research barriers. She\u2019s\u00a0discussed that problem at various<\/a>\u00a0congressional hearings<\/a>. For example, she says the process for scientists to obtain marijuana for studies is \u201cextraordinary cumbersome, and as a result of that, researchers don\u2019t want to get into the field.\u201d<\/p>\n With respect to substance misuse in general, she told Nadelmann that she\u2019s been against criminalization from \u201cday one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the reasons why I took this position was because, I say, we can develop the science in such a way that policy changes,\u201d Volkow said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve also been openly active in criticizing the policy of incarcerating for crack versus cocaine, which made absolutely no sense,\u201d she said, adding that she tries to address the harms of criminalization during appearances before Congress such as her testimony last month at a\u00a0Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing<\/a>. \u201cThere are structural systems in such a way that promote certain behaviors, and science is not enough to change those policies.\u201d<\/p>\n Seattle Should Decriminalize All Drugs, City Task Force On Overdose Crisis Recommends<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Top Federal Drug Official Says We Don\u2019t Need More Research To Show Criminalization\u2019s Racist Impact<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
When it comes to the war on drugs, there\u2019s no need for further research to prove that such criminalization has disproportionately impacted communities of color, a top federal drug official said in a new interview. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow has on several recent occasions discussedContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49764"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49764"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49765,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49764\/revisions\/49765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Top Federal Drug Official Says We Don\u2019t Need More Research To Show Criminalization\u2019s Racist Impact<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"