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
• 114    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...

The Policy Landscape of Overdose Prevention Centers and the Path Forward

• By: Calvin Bohner Quinnipiac University Samuel Jackson, MD Erie Family Health
• July 29th, 2026
• addiction treatment, community-based interventions, drug policy, federal legislation, harm reduction, opioid crisis, overdose prevention centers, public health, Summer 2026 Issue
• 467    0

Key Takeaways: Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs) are harm reduction facilities that provide many addiction services including medical supervision for those using pre-obtained drugs OPCs have consistently shown that they dramatically reduce overdose mortality and the spread of communicable...