Category: Uncategorized
-
How to Spot the Signs of Teen or Young Adult Substance Use
Figuring out if your child is using substances can be challenging. Many of the signs and symptoms are typical teen or young adult behavior. Many are also symptoms of mental health issues, including depression or anxiety. If you have reason to suspect use, don’t be afraid to err on the side of caution. Prepare to […]
-
The Stories are the Same Across This Country. Time to Change.
The federal drug conspiracy laws stack the deck against the defendant. I cannot decide if I believe they were created with that intention in mind, or if they were written by people that have no understanding of addiction. After 7 years of being clean, I still remember all too well my addictive ways, behavior, and […]
-
Chris Tigg’s Story – One of Many
~ Note: emojis represent name replacement. Chris’s Story: In regards to my case, I think it is wise to introduce the uninitiated to a little bit of historical and geographical reality. I’m from the birthplace of the meth industry in the U.S. (or really everywhere outside the theater of WWII). It’s an area of desert […]
-
“Ghost Dope” – This is the Reality for so Many
February 3, 2020 lisa-legalinfo QUESTION AUTHORITY Anyone looking to take up writing fiction for a living could do worse than to become a presentence report writer for the US Probation Office. More than one defendant has found his or her PSR describing an offense so nasty and a person so rotten that you’d never want […]
-
Forced prison labor continues to enslave Black Americans
Richard Wallace is founder and executive director of the not-for-profit organization Equity and Transformation. He wrote this column for the Chicago Tribune. As Juneteenth celebrations and paraphernalia begin to litter our social media timelines, we must remember that slavery has yet to be truly abolished. To this day, in prisons and jails across the country, government […]
-
The Truth About Deinstitutionalization
By Alisa Roth A popular theory links the closing of state psychiatric hospitals to the increased incarceration of people with mental illness. But the reality is more complicated. When a person has a mental-health crisis in America, it is almost always law enforcement—not a therapist, social worker, or psychiatrist—who responds to the 911 call. But […]
-
Recovery is a Beautiful Thing
It’s been some time since I’ve added a personal perspective with so much research, news and other things taking up our time. Completing my book has also kept me from sharing those personal perspectives. Today I thought instead of bad news, some thoughts on watching some of my loved ones recover was in order. Our […]
-
Law Enforcement Seizures of Pills Containing Fentanyl Increased Dramatically between 2018 and 2021
March 31, 2022 NIH-supported research highlights growing, dangerous trend, particularly for people new to drug use Law enforcement seizures of pills containing illicit fentanyl increased dramatically between January 2018 and December 2021, according to a new study. The number of individual pills seized by law enforcement increased nearly 50-fold from the first quarter of 2018 […]
-
Making Addiction Treatment More Realistic and Pragmatic: The Perfect Should Not be the Enemy of the Good
January 4, 2022 By Dr. Nora Volkow Last year saw drug overdose deaths in the U.S. surpass an unthinkable milestone: 100,000 deaths in a year. This is the highest number of drug overdoses in our country’s history, and the numbers are climbing every month. There is an urgent need for a nationwide, coordinated response that a tragedy […]
-
US: Discrimination based on opioid treatment is illegal
The DOJ said employers, health care providers and others can’t legally discriminate against people who take prescriptions to treat drug addiction. Credit: AP Updated: 9:22 PM EDT April 5, 2022 WASHINGTON — A deepening opioid epidemic is prompting the U.S. Department of Justice to warn about discrimination against those who are prescribed medication to treat […]