Addiction: White House seeks 'Third way': Policy emphasizes prevention, treatment, recovery

摘要

AS THE US POLICY DEBATE ABOUT drug abuse careens between old approaches that have led to incarceration of many for drug-related crimes and emerging ones that seek to legalize marijuana, the White House has released a new drug control policy (http://l.usa.gov/ZvNdGA) that administration officials describe as a "third way" to address substance abuse. The new strategy emphasizes evidence-based approaches to prevent and treat substance abuse disorders, "It's very much time for a new approach," said it Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and former police chief of Seattle, during a press briefing in April. Kerlikowske explained that like many in law enforcement, he long believed that drug dependence reflected moral failing and a lack of willpower. But an increasing body of scientific evidence suggests that substance abuse causes changes in the brain that make it difficult for individuals to stop using and that treatment can help curb these behaviors.