DFCR President Dr. Bryon Adinoff discusses the impact of prohibition, how cannabis legalization helps, and the medical community's role.
As an addiction psychiatrist, I am frustrated, angry, and even embarrassed by the refusal of physicians to acknowledge the failure of cannabis prohibition and the toll it has taken on individuals, families, communities, and society. Having spent several decades providing care for individuals with drug and alcohol disorders, I have seen the devastation that substance misuse can have on individuals and their families, so I understand my colleagues’ desire for a cautious approach to substance use. But too many physicians stubbornly ignore the terrible consequences of the drug war, which was initially justified with racist ideologies and remains a key component of structural racism.
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