What if someone you love is addicted to opiates?
Opiate addiction is a pervasive problem in many areas of the country, including Western Washington. Opiate addiction can predictably lead the sufferer into entanglement with the criminal justice system as he or she, desperate to avoid withdrawal, resorts to petty theft, burglary, or worse to fund his or her habit.
When an addict accumulates multiple charges in a compressed period of time it is often viewed as a “crime spree” by law enforcement, a frame which dictates a swift and harsh response. In fact, such behavior is the inevitable consequence of opiate addiction for those who are not wealthy enough to fund their addictions through legal means.
In more enlightened communities drug addiction is beginning to be seen as a public health problem rather than a defect in character, and there is growing recognition that knee-jerk application of traditional criminal justice sanctions is not only ineffective but actively counterproductive. In Seattle, the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which encourages cops to reach out to addicts and funnel them towards treatment and support services, rather than arrest them for petty offenses, is one example of this evolution in thinking.
Drug Diversion Courts, such as the one in King County, are another. Drug Diversion Courts offer a trade-off which can be life-saving in some instances but involves a significant risk. In exchange for surrendering your trial rights and agreeing to be convicted and sentenced summarily if you fail, the program offers the opportunity to have all charges dismissed upon successful completion of the program. Perfection is not required, though honesty is. Relapse is tolerated, even expected, but dishonesty to the program or commission of new crimes is not.
There is growing scientific consensus that the most effective means of treating opiate addiction is through medication. In her article “What Science Says to Do if Your Loved One Has an Opiate Addiction,” Maia Salavitz lays out the scientific evidence and explodes the myths about medication maintenance, which is most commonly accomplished with methadone or suboxone. Salavitz explains that there is a difference between addiction, which is defined as “compulsive drug use that continues regardless of negative consequences,” and physiological dependence, which need not be accompanied by the life-threatening consequences of addiction. Just as an insulin-dependent diabetic is not judged because he can’t go “cold turkey” from insulin, neither should a recovering addict be judged for using replacement therapy, as long as it helps him function in society. Salavitz argues that abstinence-based treatment, unaccompanied by medication, has a dangerously high rate of relapse and eventual overdose, and that lessening the stigma associated with medication maintenance can save lives.
Salavitz concludes that there is hope, as most addicts will eventually recover, but that it is a long and difficult road, more often than not with relapses along the way. Thoughtful exploration of treatment alternatives, as well as thoughtful legal representation for those entangled in the criminal justice system, goes a long way towards recovery.
