Recurring Epidemics of Pharmaceutical Drug Abuse in America: Time for an All-Drug Strategy

American Journal of Public Health
David HerzbergAlex S Bennett

Abstract

Observers describe today's "epidemic" of pharmaceutical drug abuse as a recent phenomenon, but we argue that it is only the most recent of three waves stretching back more than a century. During each wave, policies have followed a similar pattern: voluntary educational campaigns, followed by supply-side policing and--sometimes--public health responses that would today be understood as "harm reduction." These experiences suggest that only broad-based application of all three approaches to users of all drugs (not just pharmaceutical drugs) can produce a reduction in drug-related harm rather than merely shifting it from one type of drug to another. This has rarely happened because policy has been shaped by the racially charged division of drug users into deserving and morally salvageable victims, or fearsome and morally repugnant criminals.

References

Jul 21, 2011·Journal of Urban Health : Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine·Alex S BennettAlex H Kral
Sep 13, 2013·Medical Decision Making : an International Journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making·Mónica Hernández AlavaKaleb Michaud
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Citations

Aug 8, 2019·Current Pain and Headache Reports·Luisa M BigalStephanie Dunbar
Sep 13, 2020·Injury Prevention : Journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention·Ian R H RockettKurt B Nolte
Feb 2, 2018·Health Communication·Erin Willis, Chad Painter
May 13, 2017·Harm Reduction Journal·Devesh VashishthaDaniel Werb
May 9, 2019·American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education·Patricia L DarbishirePriya B Patel
Dec 22, 2017·American Journal of Public Health·Nabarun DasguptaDaniel Ciccarone
Apr 26, 2019·Nursing·Rebecca Morland
Dec 1, 2020·Frontiers in Public Health·Samuel R FriedmanMagdalena Cerdá

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