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Why U.S. Presidents Can't Win The War On Drugs

Nathaniel Lee

June 17, 2021 |

CNBC |

Broadcast TV News |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

Fifty years on, America's war on drugs has failed at its principal goals: to eradicate illicit drug use and sales, to repair communities damaged by the drug trade, and to prevent drug-related deaths. Despite massive amounts spent on law enforcement, which has created great social harms and fueled incarceration, drug use has rebounded to 40-year highs, drug overdose deaths are peaking, and supply of illegal drugs is abundant. Policy advocates say a combination of legalization and public-health approaches to the problems would accomplish more than the wasteful, ineffective "war" mentality used to date.

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‘Safety First' Drug Education Program Acknowledges the Failings of ‘Just Say No'

Roshan Abraham

June 17, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Studies show that abstinence-based prevention drug programs like D.A.R.E don't work. To provide another option, the Drug Policy Alliance, a non-profit, developed its own curriculum called “Safety First.” The 15-lesson curriculum was piloted in five schools under the San Francisco Unified School District.

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Crisis counselors are being hailed as police alternatives. It's too heavy a burden, some say.

Rebecca Tan

June 16, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Montgomery County, Maryland

Montgomery County's longtime crisis response center illustrates the pitfalls of embracing a policing alternative without proper resources or thinking through the implications. The racial-justice protests of 2020 inspired many more cities and counties to explore mobile crisis response teams instead of police, to minimize violence and get people needed help instead of incarceration. While Montgomery County's team often deescalates crises and can either provide care or refer people to needed services, it lacks the staff to respond effectively. And the system of mental health care is too thin for the need.

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Drug testing takes off in the Laurentians — even dealers are doing it

Christopher Curtis

June 11, 2021 |

Ricochet |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, St-Jérôme, Quebec

To reduce overdose deaths from the increasing number of deadly substances found in street drugs, Centre SIDA Amitié uses lab testing to help understand exactly what drugs users are putting in their bodies and how to slow the spread of deadly drugs. They distribute testing kits to hundreds of people every year, analyze urine samples, have handed out 12,189 naloxone doses, and trained over 1,000 people to administer the drug. Staff works directly with clients in communities that don’t have access to many resources, also helping them navigate court proceedings, find housing, and get into rehab if interested.

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Los grupos de autoayuda en español están llenando un vacío en temas de salud mental.

Claudia Yaujar-Amaro Christian Torres

June 11, 2021 |

Planeta Venus |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Wichita, Kansas

Dos agrupaciones de interacción entre pares para la población hispana se ha convertido en el espacio seguro para que las personas encuentren ayuda y puedan hablar sobre su salud mental.

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As Michigan ages, one woman has made it her mission to train family caregivers

Ted Roelofs

June 11, 2021 |

Bridge Michigan |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Michigan

After taking care of her own parents, Paula Duren started “boot camp” sessions for caregivers to share available resources, tips for self-care, and support. Drawing on her experience as a psychologist, Duren started the nonprofit Universal Dementia Caregivers to build and run the workshops, which have moved to zoom sessions because of the COVID-19. The all-day sessions provide information ranging from financial advice to how to access state and local services to stress-reduction tips. The overarching message throughout is that caregivers must take care of themselves to take care of their loved ones.

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Reshaping mental health crisis response in Santa Cruz County

Stephen Baxter

June 11, 2021 |

Santa Cruz Local |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Santa Cruz, California

The nationwide 988 call system for suicide prevention and mental health crises will go live in July 2022, with federal funding available for certain local crisis response programs. Santa Cruz and Alameda counties already offer a variety of police and non-police teams that will either benefit from the new system or must adapt to the changes coming. Most of the non-police responses in the area operate only during daytime hours, and in the case of Santa Cruz's Mobile Emergency Response Team are not well known by the public. When police are the default responders, people may not get the care they need.

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Inside One Baltimore Group's Effort to Stop Youth Violence Before It Starts

J. Brian Charles

June 10, 2021 |

The Trace |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore's Roca program uses cognitive behavioral therapy, and patience and persistence, to work at changing the thinking of young people at high risk of committing or suffering gun violence. Counselors help their clients examine the trauma in their lives, learn to change their reactions to stress and conflict, and to choose legitimate jobs over the street economy. Unlike violence interruption programs that seek to mediate crises just as they threaten to turn deadly, Roca does its work further upstream, seeking to shape interactions before they turn critical.

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The helpline for jealous and violent men

Craig Langran

June 08, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Colombia, Bogotá

Most domestic violence telephone helplines offer help to women who have been abused, and counseling programs for men provide their services in prison, once men have committed serious violence. But Línea Calma tries to prevent domestic violence by offering men psychological counseling by phone. The sessions of 60 to 90 minutes focus on helping men understand their feelings of rage, often linked to jealousy and machismo. In just a few months, the line (which in Spanish means the Calm Line) has taken more than 2,000 calls and some couples attest to its effectiveness in enabling men to react more calmly.

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How to help someone struggling with mental illness

Julia Hotz

June 07, 2021 |

Popular Science |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The Mental Health First Aid course teaches people who are not mental health professionals to respond to people in crisis based on understanding rather than fear. Millions of people have taken the course in 24 countries since its introduction two decades ago. It has been shown to give trainees greater confidence in their ability to provide help, but its effects on the people receiving the care is less clear. The training can be particularly useful to healthcare and law enforcement workers who are more likely to encounter such scenarios.

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