US federal government set to crack down on drug courts that fail dependent users

The federal government is cracking down on drug courts that refuse to let opioid dependent users access medical treatments such as Suboxone, said Michael Botticelli, acting director of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, on Thursday.

Drug courts that receive federal dollars will no longer be allowed to ban the kinds of medication-assisted treatments that doctors and scientists view as the most effective care for opioid dependent users, Botticelli announced in a conference call with reporters.

Botticelli said the drug czar’s office would coordinate with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to make sure the policy had the broadest impact.

"We are trying to make it clear that medication-assisted treatment is an appropriate approach to opioids.”

''We have highly effective medications, when combined with other behavioral supports, that are the standard of care for the treatment of opiate addiction. And for a long time and what continues to this day is a lack of -- a tremendous amount of misunderstanding about these drugs and particularly within our criminal justice system," Botticelli said on the call.

Click here to read the full article.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.