Decriminalization Alone Won’t Fix Addiction – Infrastructure Will: A Comparative Look at Portugal, the Netherlands, and the U.S.

• By: Mihwa Gassett, ST-LAC Elaine Edelman, PhD, LCSW, CASAC-Adv. Kansas State University McNair Scholars Program
• October 12th, 2026
• criminal justice, decriminalization, drug policy, Fall 2026 Issue, harm reduction, overdose deaths, substance use disorder
• 212    0

In Chasing the Scream: The Search for the Truth About Addiction, Johan Hari asks, "What if everything you think you know about addiction is wrong?" (Hari, 2015). Hari posits that addiction is driven by isolation more than chemicals. In a widely viewed TED Talk he states, "The opposite of addiction...

“Decriminalization” is Misconceived: Towards Improved Drug Policy

• By: Michael B. Friedman, LMSW Public Policy Analyst and Mental Health Advocate
• October 23rd, 2023
• addiction, alcohol, criminalization, decriminalization, drug control, drug policy reform, drug-related violence, Fall 2023 Issue, illicit drug use, medications, overdose deaths, regulation, substance misuse, tobacco
• 2086    0

Recent reports about the problems that have emerged with Oregon’s experiment in the decriminalization of drugs have rekindled debate about this approach to reducing the damage that results from the current policy of criminalizing illegal substances. I tilt against decriminalization as currently...