Counseling, rehabilitation, opiate replacement medication -- these strategies on their own are less effective than politicians make it sound. Some of the most promising treatment and rehab models are found within the criminal justice system. Why? Because it allows for monitoring and accountability -- essential to the care of addicts because they tend to be ambivalent about quitting drugs, and drop out of treatment in high numbers. That usually leads to a relapse.
If the carrot-and-stick approaches are scrupulously applied, not every addict will even need formal treatment. Let me explain.
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