We need to talk about Addiction Part I

Send us Fan MailAddiction/Substance use disorder is a public health crisis in this country, but our society and healthcare systems continue to stigmatize those afflicted with this disease. Oftentimes, those battling substance use disorder end up in the prison system where they are treated like criminals worthy of punishment rather than sick people in need of treatment. How did we get here and how can we address this crisis that costs our country approximately $740 billion dollars annually in a way that actually helps people? The History of Drug Abuse and Addiction RehabilitationThe History of Addiction Treatment: A TimelineTimeline: America's War on Drugs : NPRA History of the Drug War | Drug Policy AllianceCracks in the System: 20 Years of the Unjust Federal Crack Cocaine Law | American Civil Liberties Unionhttps://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/sp/1003.pdf https://eji.org/news/racial-double-standard-in-drug-laws-persists-today/https://communitycatalyst.org/posts/how-structural-racism-fuels-the-response-to-the-opioid-crisis/https://www.clasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2020betweenthelines.pdfhttps://www.statnews.com/2019/12/03/oxycontin-history-told-through-purdue-pharma-documents/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_opioid_epidemicIn the Realm of Hungry Ghosts-Gabor MateSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Help and Support