To the Editor: “Freed From Prison, but Still Paying a Penalty” (news article, Dec. 29) exposes the draconian effects of a criminal justice system whose focus on tough punishment leaves little room for rehabilitation. While punishment for criminal behavior is essential, the continuing penalization of people who are overwhelmingly…
To the editor: Re “Voiceless, Defenseless and a Source of Cash” (front page, April 30): For too long, the suffering of the mentally ill, some of whom are addicted to drugs, has been someone else’s problem. Deinstitutionalization was the right thing to do in the 1970’s, and still is…
Peggy Orenstein’s cover article “Staying Clean” drew praise from rehab providers and former users confirming that, as reported, there is no quick fix in treating addiction and no guaranteed cure. Below is the response by Dr. Peter Provet, among the many written by treatment experts. Orenstein is right in…
To the editor: “As Drug Use Drops in Big Cities, Small Towns Confront Upsurge” (front page, Feb. 11) clearly tells America that drug abuse is a great equalizer. It does not segregate by class, race or geography. Cities, small towns and rural areas face similar challenges of keeping youngsters…
To the editor: Monitoring prescriptions of OxyContin sounds like a good place to start to prevent increased abuse (“Few State Track Prescriptions as Way to Prevent Overdoses,” front page, Dec. 21). But we must also increase drug treatment programs and sponsor broader prevention and education campaigns. As a treatment…
To the Editor: An important concern missing from the increasing attention paid to abuse of the powerful painkiller OxyContin is the treatment needs of the abuser. Whether or not Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the drug (news article, Aug. 13), speeds up development of a painkiller like OxyContin that would…