As a social worker, I know Oregon’s recriminalization of drugs impedes treatment
Oregon is moving backward. Gov. Tina Kotek will soon sign a bill passed in the state legislature, House Bill 4002, that will recriminalize drugs without offering any real solutions to the public suffering the war on drugs continues to perpetuate. The reversal upholds the same lie that’s been sold to United States public for decades — that the threat of jail deters consumption and helps get people into treatment.
Although advocates claim it was a victory, in reality, this policy is designed to disappear the poor and people experiencing homelessness into jails instead of giving them the help they need — a move that can be understood when you realize that much of the rollback effort was bankrolled by wealthy business owners and led by the former chief of Oregon’s prisons who all want to protect their bottom line… I speak from experience when I say this is counterproductive. I am a social worker and former addiction treatment provider who has worked with people under criminal legal treatment mandate. I have seen how threats of punishment disrupt the therapeutic process and make it nearly impossible to help clients. I have begged parole and probation officers to let my clients stay in treatment after they tried to send my clients back to jail over a single positive drug screening. I’ve seen far too many clients cut off from services before they could fully benefit, fueling a cycle of punishment. Research confirms that the criminal legal system’s forced approach hurts more than it helps — people mandated to treatment do no better than those who are there voluntarily, and they face a higher risk of overdose… Throwing the same vulnerable people into jail every few weeks perpetuates a costly cycle of punishment and disruption when we could be investing in programs that provide immediate and longer-term safety for everyone in our communities. Saving lives at this moment requires us to ensure that our systems can serve our most vulnerable community members with quality, effective, on-demand services to meet their complex needs. Evidence-based, voluntary treatment is one piece of the puzzle; criminalization is not.
Original Article (Truthout):
As a social worker, I know Oregon’s recriminalization of drugs impedes treatment
Artwork Fair Use: Kenneth Anderson
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