Opinion | New Approaches to the Drug Overdose Crisis
To the Editor:
Re “One Year Inside a Radical New Approach to America’s Overdose Crisis,” by Jeneen Interlandi (Opinion, Feb. 26), and “America Has Lost the War on Drugs. What Now?” (editorial, Feb. 26):
As both a witness to and a survivor of the war on drugs, I know firsthand that America has lost this battle. The impact of drug addiction and the criminalization of drug use have left deep scars on me and my family. I lost my father to a drug-related homicide, and I have been grappling with the trauma and pain ever since.
The approach of criminalizing drug use and addiction has only perpetuated the problem, creating a vicious cycle of poverty, trauma and dysfunction that is difficult to break. We must shift our focus to treating addiction as a public health issue by providing access to treatment, resources and support to those who are struggling.
It is essential to address the root causes of addiction: poverty, lack of access to health care and systemic oppression. Until we acknowledge and address these underlying issues, the war on drugs will continue to fail, leaving countless families, individuals and children to suffer the devastating consequences.
We need a new approach, one that prioritizes compassion, understanding and healing for all who have been affected by addiction.
Andrya Allen
Pensacola, Fla.
To the Editor:
I agree that people who suffer from drug addiction and those who do outreach should never be demonized. And it’s appropriate that access to opioids, including by prescription, has been tightly restricted in response to the huge number of overdoses. However, the government and the medical community have sidelined many sufferers of chronic pain in the process.
I’m severely limited as a result of chronic pain from multiple injuries, coupled with a genetic predisposition to osteoarthritis. And because of the restrictions on opioids, I no longer have access to adequate pain relief.
I’m fortunate to be among those whose genetic code doesn’t include substance addiction. The only time that the use of opioids was problematic for me was when they were overprescribed by a physician. Otherwise, I’ve taken only the prescribed and appropriate amount and have experienced pain relief without cravings or the need for higher doses for continued efficacy.
Those who have the power to relieve the suffering of the many non-addicted chronic pain sufferers should tweak the guidelines to allow our reasonable access to opioids by prescription.
Robin L. Jacobson
San Anselmo, Calif.
To the Editor:
The editorial board’s assessment that policymakers’ skewed prioritization of criminalization over public health has led to soaring overdose rates hit the nail right on the head. And the solutions that it laid out — supporting overdose prevention centers, addressing the root causes of substance use disorder and providing affordable addiction care — offer compelling starting strategies.
But doing those things while continuing to prioritize increased criminalization and mandatory minimum sentencing for fentanyl-related substances — as the Biden administration and many members of Congress have been pushing — is incredibly counterproductive and fails to acknowledge how we got here to begin with.
The fact that more than 100,000 people a year are dying from preventable overdoses should be more than enough evidence that 50-plus years of drug-related mass criminalization is a clear policy failure and that punitive policy only heightens the risks associated with drug use.
It’s time to ditch the failed strategies of a bygone era and fully embrace science and evidence to save lives now.
Maritza Perez Medina
Washington
The writer is the director of the office of federal affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance.
To the Editor:
Until we adequately fund substance abuse treatment programs, thousands of Americans a year will continue to die from preventable overdoses. Evidence-based prevention services, harm reduction, long-term residential care, in-person and telehealth outpatient therapies, and recovery centers effectively reduce drug addiction.
We see the results of this work daily at our treatment programs in New York City. Individuals, many stabilized on medication-assisted treatments, defy the odds and participate in behavioral therapies, find employment, secure housing and reunite with family.
But it’s a tall order to expect understaffed programs that run on shoestring budgets to solve America’s addiction crisis alone.
I agree that the war on drugs, as a largely interdiction and incarceration approach, has failed millions of Americans. We need lawmakers and public health officials to lead the way out of this failure and provide Americans with a way to save — not punish — people with substance abuse disorders.
Peter Provet
New York
The writer is the president and C.E.O. of Odyssey House, a nonprofit that helps people overcome drug addiction.
Cleareyed About Putin
To the Editor:
Re “Year of Conflict Has Left Europe Forever Changed” (front page, Feb. 26):
The observation in the article’s subheadline, “Peace Mentality After Cold War Gives Way to an Embrace of Military Power,” seems premature. While the central and eastern European countries understand the Russian threat and want to see a clear Ukrainian victory, the recent talk of peace negotiations by Germany, France and Britain shows that they seem to expect a return to relatively normal relations with Russia.
They clearly fail to accept that Russia and its axis of allies (China, Iran and North Korea) have ambitions that cannot be placated any more than appeasement was effective to stop Hitler and the Axis powers before World War II.
Vladimir Putin has similar motivations, goals and methods as Hitler. The West must view Mr. Putin and his allies as existential enemies and quickly eliminate dependence on the resources and products of these countries.
To the Editor:
Re “Adams’s View on Church and State Creates Stir” (news article, March 1):
Regarding Mayor Eric Adams’s idea that we need prayer in school, as others have pointed out, as long as there are math tests, there will be prayer in school.
The question is, Why does Mayor Adams want organized public prayer? In the Bible, Jesus advises his followers to pray in secret: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” Perhaps Mayor Adams is not familiar with that passage.
Howard Karten
Boston
‘Fox Deserves to Pay’
To the Editor:
Re “Murdoch Acknowledges Fox Hosts Endorsed Election Falsehoods” (front page, Feb. 28):
The damning evidence keeps piling up showing that senior management allowed an out-of-control faction of the Fox News team to knowingly spread incendiary false information.
If Dominion Voting Systems wins its defamation lawsuit against Fox News and is awarded the $1.6 billion it is suing for, it would exceed Fox Corporation’s net income for fiscal year 2022. That would be a substantial hit to Fox, and one that will presumably have deep repercussions.
Fox didn’t just damage Dominion. It damaged all of us. Fox intentionally lied to viewers with complete disregard for the destabilization wreaked upon the government and upon the people of the United States.
For all of this damage, Fox deserves to pay.
William Goldman
Los Angeles
