New US anti-drug policy stresses treatment, prevention
AFP
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The White House unveiled a new drug policy strategy that veers away from imposing heavy prison sentences for illicit drug use and focuses instead on prevention and treatment. The new approach looks at drug addiction as a treatable disease rather than a crime. The Drug Policy Alliance, a leading pro-reform group, dismissed the new drug strategy as being "almost identical" to those of previous administrations. The Obama administration "is prioritizing low-level drug arrests, trampling on state medical marijuana laws, and expanding supply-side interdiction approaches -- while not doing enough to actually reduce the harms of drug addiction and misuse."
