Drug courts have operated in the U.S. for more than 30 years, and have been heralded as an effective way to divert people with addictions away from the criminal justice system. An estimated 150,000 individuals are enrolled in the system at any given time, allowing them to avoid jail time if they begin a regime of drug rehab. Recently, drug courts have been evolving away from punitive approaches, including one run by district court judge Jason Lidyard in northern New Mexico profiled in the Washinton Post. Lidyard accepts that some participants may stumble in recovery and therefore need more support, and not jail time. He won’t impose sanctions for failing a drug test and develops strong relationships with clients. He believes that this more compassionate approach—known as problem-solving courts—is better suited to the realities of addiction and the struggle to get sober.
Meanwhile, an opinion piece in the Boston Globe highlights the need for a massive public health response to the overdose epidemic, which has been overshadowed by COVID-19. Noting that more than 100,000 Americans died of an overdose over the past 12 months ending in April—the highest drug death toll ever—it says that law enforcement and public health officials know how to prevent such fatalities and create better access to treatment. But at the moment, America’s response to the epidemic is flawed and lacks the urgency to save lives, noting that 4 in five individuals with drug disorders do not receive treatment of any kind.
And finally, an investigation by the New York Times reveals that Syria has emerged as a major “narcostate” and is now a leading producer and seller of illegal amphetamines. It says the illicit drug industry, which emerged from the ruins of the decades-long civil war, is run by powerful associates and relatives of President Assad, and has become a multi-billion-dollar operation that stretches across Syria to the rest of the Middle East. The main drug exported is called captagon, an addictive amphetamine that was banned internationally in the late 1980s. Currently, the street value of the drugs seized has outstripped the value of Syria's legal exports with a street value of about $2.9 billion.