Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 11, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News | 
The election has come and gone. Some people are overjoyed with the results and some people are devastated. It is safe to say that this has been one of the most divisive elections in history. However, the presidential election is not the only thing that has polarized people. In 2012 citizens in Colorado voted to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. This was a first for the country, but since then more states have decided to bring the issue of legalized pot to voters. So, while the country was struggling with determining who would be our next commander in chief, marijuana legalization was placed on ballots in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Maine, Arizona, Florida, North Dakota, Arkansas and Montana. Some of these measures were for medicinal use and some were for recreational use.
And, just like the presidential election, the results of these measures are just as polarized. Not all states gathered the required number of votes to legalize the drug. Residents of Arizona did not approve the ballot measure in the state, but voters in California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine all chose to legalize the drug for adults aged 21 and older. This continued shift in the public opinion of marijuana actually highlights the fact that there is still a great divide between those that want marijuana to be legal, and those that do not want to legalize the drug.
For those that have advocated marijuana legalization, the passing of recreational marijuana in some states was a celebrated event. However, many actively fought against the passing of these bills, and were disappointed with the results. “We were outspent greatly in both California and Massachusetts, so this loss is disappointing, but not wholly unexpected. Despite having gained considerable ground in the last few weeks, the out-of-state interests determined to make money off of legalization put in too much money to overcome,” explained Kevin Sabet from Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
Despite the profit-driven push to make weed more legally prevalent, there are millions of Americans who still see past the rhetoric because they know how destructive the drug can be to individuals and communities in multiple ways. For example, researchers have confirmed that marijuana use by teens can damage their developing brains.
We are happy that Arizona citizens stood up to the pressure to legalize pot and hope that more states are able to remain as resilient in the future.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on September 10, 2015 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
As part of the 2016 race for the presidency, Hillary Clinton has submitted her plan to target the growing drug problem in the United States. After listening to concerned citizens in New Hampshire and Iowa, Clinton has vowed to wage a strong attack against drug use and abuse. Her plan is to use $10 billion to increase drug prevention efforts locally, increase the treatment options for addicts and arm more first responders with life-saving doses of naloxone for those in the midst of an opiate overdose. Additionally, Clinton wants to spend part of the budget on further education for health providers to improve their skills in spotting and preventing early addiction signs.
“It’s time we recognize that there are gaps in our health care system that allow too many to go without care – and invest in treatment. It’s time we recognize that our state and federal prisons, were 65 percent of inmates meet medical criteria for substance use disorders, are no substitute for proper treatment – and reform our criminal justice system,” explained Clinton in her open letter to voters.
A major part of Clinton’s proposal is to treat addicts that are in prison. Currently, thousands of addicts are incarcerated for drug-related offenses and not receiving treatment for their problem. It has been found that that the recidivism rate for these offenders is incredibly high, as most of them go right back to their drug of choice after being released from prison. Because they are not receiving the proper treatment while in prison, addicts are bouncing back and forth from prison to the streets. This is a cycle that costs taxpayers millions of dollars and many believe can be addressed by solving the drug dependence that gets ignored while behind bars.
Clinton also developed an incentive for state governments to create more treatment options for addicts. For every $1 million spent by the state, Hillary proposes to grant $4 million towards the state’s efforts. While it is still early on in the presidential race, it is important that candidates are acknowledging the drug problem that has affected so many families throughout the country.
Drug addiction has been a focal point for several other candidates as well, and will be interesting to see how much of their platforms will revolve around the overall health of our nation and helping people inside our own country.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on October 20, 2014 under Addiction Trends, Prescription Drugs |
A closer look at the statistics surrounding drug addiction and drug use show that the drug problem is continuing to get worse in our country. While the President explained that the war on drugs needed to change tactics, some people are still fighting against drugs using the old playbook. Instead of focusing on prevention, education and treatment, some people are still blindly incarcerating addicts and punishing them instead of trying to solve the core issues.
Drug use continues to be a problem throughout towns, cities, states and the entire country. The number of people who have died from heroin overdoses has doubled since 2012. The United States reports more deaths from drug and alcohol overdoses than car accidents. Older adults are contributing to the increase in addicts in our country as well, not just teenagers or young adults. Many addicts obtain their drugs from their doctors, as the biggest increase in drug problems throughout the country involve prescription medications.
It is clear that as a nation, we are facing a problem regarding the way we deal with pain. Since millions of people are abusing painkillers, and then often resorting to heroin abuse because it is cheaper than purchasing pills, we need to address our policies on prescription painkillers. While most states have implemented some type of prescription monitoring tool to help doctors and pharmacists keep track of who is getting what and ensuring that less people are going from doctor to doctor in search of painkillers, this is not the ultimate solution. Not everyone uses the system and if you look at the prescription painkiller problem closer you will see that what needs to be addressed is our lack of willingness to feel pain, says Allen Frances, Professor Emeritus from Duke University.
As the leader of the task force for the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM-IV), Frances is basing his opinions on a large body of data. He says that in an attempt to avoid pain, doctors are willing to put their patient at risk of developing a severe addiction to prescription painkillers. There was once a time when prior to such a severe course of action doctors would prescribe an exercise regimen, new diet or physical therapy. These are the alternatives that can prevent an addiction before it ever even starts.
While not everyone can be pleased with the drug policy of our country, it does seem to be continuing to shift more in favor of treatment over incarceration This should help to have a positive impact that should be noticed in the near future as well as man years down the road.
