Baltimore health commissioner: Trump's opioid announcement yesterday was deeply troubling (The Hill)

Tuesday Mar 20th, 2018

In her op-ed, Dr. Wen expresses her concern's with President Trump's opioid plan.

"Yesterday, President Trump announced his plan to curb the opioid epidemic. While it is laudable that he is devoting time and attention to this issue, much of his announcement is deeply troubling.

First, I worry about the focus on punishment. Addiction is a disease. Research has shown time and time again that treating addiction as a crime or a moral failing is ineffective, unscientific, and inhumane. The “War on Drugs” approach has not worked, and has disproportionately incarcerated minorities and the poor.

Creating additional criminal penalties and ratcheting up enforcement continues a failed strategy: addressing the supply of drugs alone is not going to be effective unless equal attention is paid to reducing the demand for them."

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When I’ve asked experts about these approaches, it’s not that any of them are bad. It’s that they fall short. For instance, Leana Wen, the former health commissioner of Baltimore (and soon-to-be president of Planned Parenthood), said that the Support for Patients and Communities Act “is simply tinkering around the edges.”

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