Sober Recovery https://www.soberrecovery.com/images/og-image.gif 619 412 https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/cimg/www.soberrecovery.com/619x412_85/180/iStock_000065201411_Medium-124180.jpg The Highs and Lows of Drug Prevention Policies in 2015 By Liemann Valdimar Sober Recovery Expert Author Dec 28 2015 Share to Twitter Share to Facebook A Universal IssueNearly all American adults know at least one person who is struggling with addiction or has lost their battle with addiction. Drug prevention policies aren't just something that affects the addict; it affects us all as an entire nation. In 2015, there were both progress and setbacks in the anti-drugs fight. The following slides take a look at some notable highs and lows. HIGH: Improved MedicareThirty-one states have expanded essentially cost-free Medicare coverage to the state's poorest senior residents. This coverage even allows for retroactive claims in certain cases. Drug prevention policies aren't just something that affects the addict; it affects us all as an entire nation. Treatment Facilities Lake Ariel Recovery Center Sanctuary at Cherry Hill Texas Recovery Advocates Connections Mental Health LOW: Mass IncarcerationThe U.S. rates of incarceration, which are by far the highest in the world, comprise of approximately 50% of prisoners with drug-related sentences or convictions for crimes committed in conjunction with drugs. In an era of mass incarceration, few treatment options are available to these individuals. HIGH: Obama CommutationsPresident Obama brought some parity between drug sentences and the crimes associated with them this year, in particular disparities in crack and cocaine sentencing at the federal level. These revised sentencing guidelines brought scores of commutations to nonviolent drug offenders, 40 of whom were spared life terms. LOW: Felon DisenfranchisementDisenfranchisement of former felons, including those with sentencing guidelines related to addiction, ensures that 6 million former convicts do not vote each year, even after leaving corrections control. HIGH: Drug for Hepatitis CPeople in recovery are disproportionately affected by HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis C. In 2015, the first FDA-approved drug for “curing” Hepatitis C in patients entered the U.S. markets, albeit with a price tag of $100,000 per treatment. Despite the costs, this drug will save an estimated 10,000 lives within the first year. LOW: Pharmaceutical FraudThere were a number of mass tort litigations against major pharmaceutical companies for illegal and fraudulent marketing practices related to unsafe and risky drugs this year. Companies like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline were forced to pay billions of dollars in fines. This points towards the shifting face of addition in the U.S., in which legally obtained prescription drugs are major sources for addiction. HIGH: Access to Anti-Opiate Overdose MedsAn increase in heroin deaths across American cities and suburbs has forged a development in which parents, patents, the public and law enforcement can have access to a number of anti-opiate overdose medications. Since its inception in a handful of states, officials estimate that hundreds of lives have already been saved. LOW: New Opiate Products on the MarketNew super-strength opiate products gained FDA approval with uncomfortable frequency in 2015. Moreover, the youth demographic oftentimes find themselves mired in the newest and most dangerous drugs hitting the U.S. market. Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.