Consider This from NPR 50 Years Later, Is America's War On Drugs At A Turning Point?
Jun 21, 2021
Brian Mann, an NPR correspondent with deep insights into America's drug policies, shares compelling narratives from a special series he covered. He highlights the 50-year journey of the War on Drugs, unpacking its failures and the societal repercussions like mass incarceration. Mann discusses a growing consensus for reform, showcasing successful decriminalization efforts and a shift towards treating addiction as a health issue. The discussion also touches on communities like Huntington, where innovative solutions spark hope amid the opioid crisis.
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Two Stories of Addiction
- Aaron Hinton, a community organizer from Brownsville, New York, lost his mother to a prescription painkiller overdose.
- Courtney Hessler, a reporter in Huntington, West Virginia, also experienced the impact of opioid addiction within her family.
Contrasting Impacts of the Drug War
- The war on drugs had different consequences in Brownsville and Huntington.
- Brownsville saw mass arrests and imprisonment, while Huntington was flooded with prescription painkillers due to lax federal regulations.
Oregon's Decriminalization Experiment
- Oregon's Measure 110 decriminalized small amounts of hard drugs.
- Instead of criminal charges, individuals receive a citation and are offered a health screening.