Public Policy
Posted under Public Policy
Minimum Legal Drinking Age Laws Under Scrutiny
There is a debate among several college presidents over lowering the drinking age on college campuses to 18. Richard A. Grucza, from Washington University and his colleagues believe this would be dangerous for young adults on college campuses. Continue Reading
Posted under Public Policy
Limits of Confidentiality in Drug Rehab Treatment
When treating patients for drug and alcohol addiction, drug rehab treatment facilities must always balance the privacy rights of the patient against the facility’s duty toward other individuals and society in general. The very act of seeking treatment for drug addiction or alcoholism is protected from disclosure under federal law and exceptions are few. Even when disclosure that a patient is a danger to others is required under State law, programs might still run the risk of violating federal regulations if doing so would reveal the patient’s substance abuse.
Posted under Florida
Pill Mills in Florida: Update
Cracking down on unscrupulous doctors and pill mills and helping to curb the skyrocketing abuse of prescription drugs, the state of Florida is working hard to shed its image as the “Oxy Express.” A new law, signed by Florida Governor Rick Scott in June 2011, is now in effect and is starting to have an impact. The new law is the strongest effort yet in the Sunshine State to regulate pain management clinics.
Posted under Public Policy
Crack Cocaine Offenders May Get Early Release From Federal Prisons
It’s a proposal backed by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., and it’s already causing a ruckus across the country. At issue is the early release proposal to retroactively correct sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine offenders.
Posted under Public Policy
What Was the Convention on Psychotropic Substances?
The United Nations sponsored three commissions on international drug abuse, occurring in 1961, 1971, and 1988. All three produced treaties that are still in force, and over 120 nations have signed on to them. The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is the one that occurred in 1971.
Posted under Public Policy
California Assembly Hopes to Ban Sale of Beer Laced with Caffeine
California and several other states are concerned about beverages that contain caffeine and are aimed towards young adults, tempting them to drink more than is safe. The ban was approved by vote in the California Assembly and passed the Senate last April, but changes must be reconsidered before the bill is sent to the office of the Governor. Continue Reading
Posted under Public Policy
Drug Tests for Welfare Recipients
While more states passing drug-testing laws might appeal to the baser emotional impulses of the masses, this does not address the fact that underlying psychiatric issues in underserved populations often lead to self-medication and it continues to frame addiction as a moral failing rather than a disease. Have we decided to let children fend for themselves as we continue to ignore our country’s fundamental shift toward greater poverty with fewer mental health services?
Posted under Public Policy
White House Stands Up Against Medical Marijuana
While pollsters say Americans may be ‘growing’ more accustomed to the idea of legalized marijuana, the nation’s government has not changed its collective mind. Marijuana has been legalized for medical purposes in 16 states and the District of Columbia yet the Justice Department, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the White House remain steadfast in their opposition to the trend.
Posted under Public Policy
Federal Budget Allocates Nearly $26 Billion for Drug Abuse Spending
While cocaine abuse has decreased by almost 50 percent in the last five years among young adults ranging from ages 18 to 25, drug abuse among prescription abusers has not, according to a recent Bloomberg report. Continue Reading
Posted under Public Policy
County Social Host Liability Effective at Combating Underage Drinking
Underage drinking is extremely common among US teens and is becoming increasingly problematic because when teens drink, they tend to binge drink. Binge drinking is defined as a heavy consumption of alcohol over a relatively short period of time for the purpose of becoming intoxicated. Binge drinking is a major public health issue as it leads to automobile accidents and fatalities, rape, violence, suicide and unintentional overdose. Although binge drinking is most often associated with college age students, the number of binge drinking episodes among high school kids is on the rise.
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Everything you need to know to help a loved one struggling with addiction, from the writers and editors of Everything Addiction.
