Joaquin Guzman Loera, known as “El Chapo Guzman” and the head of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, easily escaped from a Mexican prison this week in what came as little surprise to law enforcement officials on either side of the border.… Continue Reading
The escape of Chapo Guzman, the most powerful drug trafficker in Mexico, was a humiliating setback for the administration of Enrique Peña Nieto. Guzman’s escape will force a government shift on extradition, embolden Mexico’s marines and may be a source for internal rifts… Continue Reading
One of the few positive achievements of the failed 40-year war on drugs is that a majority of the public is open to alternatives to an excessive reliance on punishment, especially incarceration, as a means to reduce the harms of drug use and abuse. Treatment — as broad-ranging and nebulous as that term can be — offers the prospect of a more effective approach. Continue Reading
Federal funds for substance-use treatment and prevention in FY2013 were approximately $9.2 billion and are forecast to rise to $10.9 billion in FY2015, which represents an increase of 18.4 percent over three years. While this is promising, the amount of funds spent on both law enforcement and interdiction are not decreasing significantly. If there were to be a genuine shift from enforcement to treatment, I would expect to see enforcement efforts decrease significantly, providing even more increases for treatment and prevention. Continue Reading
Lawmakers, politicians and advocates of all stripes have shifted from punitive stances on drugs, citing the need for financial prudence. The logic behind these federal laws, as well as behind the successful state campaigns to legalize marijuana, is seldom openly about the value of treatment. Instead, the argument at the forefront is related to spending. Continue Reading
Lately, the drug policy landscape has been awash with calls for decriminalization (mostly for marijuana) and expanded drug rehabilitation. The treatment conversation has grown louder as increases in prescription opioid and heroin overuse and overdose deaths have made national headlines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that from 2010 to 2012 the heroin overdose rate doubled in 28 states. Less publicized was the finding that prescription opioids accounted for twice as many overdose deaths as heroin during that time. Continue Reading
The first three priorities outlined in the strategy recently established by President Barack Obama’s Office of National Drug Control Policy — prevention, treatment and criminal justice system reforms — may seem like a progressive breakthrough in our nation’s lengthy drug war. In fact, since 1971, each of these three strategies has factored into presidential drug policy with varying degrees of emphasis and alternating tactics for accomplishing each one. In contrast, the fourth strategy set by today’s ONDCP — to lift the stigma associated with those suffering from substance use disorders — is unprecedented. Continue Reading