_edited_edited.jpg)
Our goals
The National Alliance for Addiction Reform believes we must take a stronger approach to overcoming the war on drugs. We know that the criminalization of marijuana and opioids does more harm than good, and disproportionately hurts people of color and individuals living in poverty.
Combatting the Opioid Epidemic
We support:
- Developing, funding, and implementing effective public education and awareness campaigns
- Reducing the availability and accessibility of opioids
- Promoting safe, effective, non-addictive strategies to manage chronic pain
- Increasing funding for cutting-edge research that will strengthen our understanding of this epidemic
-Holding the pharmaceutical companies responsible for misinforming the medical industry and the American public accountable, as profit cannot be prioritized over safety.
Learning From Other Countries
The US must shift its approach on the opioid crisis from a criminal approach to a public health one. This reform is best shown in the Portugal model:
An innovative law in Portugal decriminalized the possession and use of up to 10 days of narcotics. Instead of facing prison time and criminal charges, drug users are assessed by psychologists, social workers, lawyers, etc, and suggested treatment. The Portuguese model is based on harm reduction and humanism—it sees people with drug problems not as criminals, but as people with an illness.
The N2AR believes in learning from the Portugal model and decriminalizing opioids. Addicts must be given treatment, not prison sentences. Decriminalization means that legal penalties will be reduced for at-risk individuals, but distribution will still be considered a criminal offense. The threat of arrest and criminal charges only pushes drug users away from seeking the health and social services that can save their lives and those of fellow users.
Legalizing Marijuana
The N2AR supports the legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana at a federal level. This would create jobs, increase economic opportunities, and promote consumer safety.
Additional goals include
- Providing justice for those convicted of marijuana use and possession
- Increasing funding and services for communities most impacted by the criminalization of marijuana (especially minority communities)
- Eliminating discriminatory policing practices and racial bias in the criminal justice system