U.S. Surgeon General Report Supports a Softer Approach for the Drug War

First-of-its-kind "Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health" Suggests a Harm Reduction Approach

Drug addiction should not be considered as a criminal justice issue;

Kurt Schmoke (Wikimedia Commons)

it should simply be viewed as a public health crisis. Kurt Schmoke, then serving as the Mayor of Baltimore, made international headlines in the 1980s when he declared that drugs should be decriminalized. Schmoke said, "(The drug war) should be led by the Surgeon General, not the Attorney General." [1] He advocated for harm reduction measures that would reduce the collateral damage from drug addiction, including needle exchange programs. [2] (If you're a fan of "The Wire," the writers used a little poetic license with the "Hamsterdam" episode to illustrate Schmoke's bold vision.)

Those were blasphemous statements during the Just-Say-No era, but Schmoke's vision has become much less controversial three decades later. This first-ever report (issued Thursday, Nov 17th) confronts several of the weaknesses of our flawed approach. Essentially, the U.S. Surgeon General (Dr. Vivek Murthy) pointed out that America's inclination for law enforcement and punishment has neglected proactive approaches for prevention

Dr. Vivek Murthy (Wikimedia Commons)

and treatment. This report insists that our government needs to address this issue with "evidence-based solutions."  

Drug addiction isn't always solely related to a substance abuse problem, there are often mental health factors. Unfortunately, both of those issues are often left untreated. Here are the specifics:

"Only about 10 percent of people with a substance use disorder receive any type of specialty treatment.¹ Further, over 40 percent of people with a substance use disorder also have a mental health condition, yet fewer than half (48.0 percent) receive treatment for either disorder.¹ 

Many factors contribute to this “treatment gap,” including the inability to access or afford care, fear of shame and discrimination, and lack of screening for substance misuse and substance use disorders in general health care settings."

[1]  Steven B. Duke and Albert C. Gross. America's Longest War: Rethinking Our Tragic Crusade against Drugs. New York: Jeremy P Tarcher / Putnam Books, 1993. P 181 

[2]  Dan Baum. Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1993. Print. P 248