Drug Use as Public Health Matter
Current Research for the MLA LD Debate Topic…

TOPIC: Drug Use as a Public Health Issue

Resolved: The illegal use of drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice.
IMPORTANT: Please read the following from the \”Debate Bible\” (Topicality): The Debate Bible (by Jon Brushke).pdf

BACKGROUND:

Declaring Addiction a Health Crisis Could Change Criminal Justice (The Atlantic, November 26, 2016)
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/addiction-health-crisis-criminal-justice/508409/
For the first time ever, a sitting U.S. surgeon general has declared substance abuse a public-health crisis. “It’s time to change how we view addiction,” Vivek Murthy said in a statement last week, which was accompanied by a lengthy report on the issue. “Not as a moral failing, but as a chronic illness that must be treated with skill, urgency, and compassion. The way we address this crisis is a test for America.” Murthy’s statement is a major victory for those advocates who have long hoped addiction would be viewed through a physical- and mental-health lens. But this new approach—if it were to become widespread—could also profoundly impact the criminal-justice system, where addicts often end up.

More than 9,000 marijuana convictions dismissed in latest case of cities taking action,
ABC News, February 28, 2019
https://abcnews.go.com/US/9000-marijuana-convictions-dismissed-latest-case-cities-taking/story?id=61383127
San Francisco has become the latest city to push for old marijuana-related criminal offenses to be cleared, with the city\’s district attorney announcing that thousands of people will have their cases dismissed and sealed. In all, 9,362 people will be eligible for dismissal, according to George Gascon, the San Francisco District Attorney. Each of them had received either a misdemeanor possession convictions or felony convictions for possession with intent to sell, sales or transportation of marijuana or the cultivation of more than six marijuana plants. Gascon and his team worked with Code for America, a non-partisan group focused on improving government services through technology, to identify the cases — an effort that had been ongoing since January 2018. \”It\’s important because when people have criminal convictions — especially felony convictions — they are precluded from participating in society in many ways,\” Gascon said, adding that \”we as a society\” have determined that the so-called \”war on drugs\” has been ineffective and this is one way to fix it. \”It\’s time to unwind the damage that we did,\” he said.

WHITEBOARD PHOTOS (& EVIDENCE PACKETS):

[-] LD Research – Drug Use as Public Health Matter (BFI, 2019-02-01).pdf  (or DOC)
[-] LD Research – Drug Use as Public Health Matter (Big Sky Debate, 2019-02-01).pdf  (or DOC)
[-] LD Research – Drug Use as Public Health Matter (Champion Briefs, 2019-02-01).pdf
[-] LD Research – Drug Use as a Public Health Matter (Forensics Files, 2019-02-01).pdf
[-] LD Research – Drug Use as Public Health Matter (Premiere Debate, 2019-02-01).pdf  (or DOC)
[-] LD Research – Drug Use as Public Health Matter (Victory Briefs, 2019-02-01).pdf
[-] WB Photo (Drug Use as Public Health Matter) – Outline of AFF & NEG 01 (MLA, 2019-02-01).jpg
[-] WB Photo (Drugs as Public Health) – Outline & AFF Arg on Suffering (MLA, 2019-02-01).jpg

REQUIRED RESEARCH VIDEOS: 

Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong,
Johann Hari, TED Talk, July 9, 2015 – 15 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs
What really causes addiction – to everything from cocaine to smart-phones? And how can we overcome it? Johann Hari has seen our current methods fail firsthand, as he has watched loved ones struggle to manage their addictions. He started to wonder why we treat addicts the way we do – and if there might be a better way. As he shares in this deeply personal talk, his questions took him around the world and unearthed some surprising and hopeful ways of thinking on an age-old problem.

Introduction to Michelle Alexander\’s \”The New Jim Crow\”,
Macat Sociology Analysis, April 17, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWU6ZfnqNHM

Health Matters – Preventing Drug Misuse Deaths,
Public Health England, February 28, 2017 – 4 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6Gog-yctZc

Obama: \’Drug addiction is a health problem, not a criminal problem\’,
The Guardian, March 29, 2016 – 1 min
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/29/barack-obama-drug-addiction-health-problem-not-criminal-problem
NOTE: Please read (and cut evidence) from the article – especially from the experts (not politicians).

REQUIRED RESEARCH ARTICLES: 

Declaring Addiction a Health Crisis Could Change Criminal Justice
Uleyka Lantigua-Williams, The Atlantic, November 26, 2016
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/addiction-health-crisis-criminal-justice/508409/

Obama: \’Drug addiction is a health problem, not a criminal problem\’,
The Guardian, March 29, 2016
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/29/barack-obama-drug-addiction-health-problem-not-criminal-problem
NOTE: Please read (and cut evidence) from the article – especially from the experts (not politicians).

Want to Win the War on Drugs? Portugal Might Have the Answer,
TIME Magazine, August 1, 2018
http://time.com/longform/portugal-drug-use-decriminalization/

ADDITIONAL \”OPTIONAL\” RESEARCH ARTICLES & VIDEOS:

March/April 2019 Lincoln-Douglas Topic Analysis,
Adam Tomasi, Champion Briefs, March 6, 2019 – 17 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izvEoZra40&feature=youtu.be

President Trump Declares Opioid Emergency; What to Know About \’Just Say No\’,
TIME Magazine, October 26, 2017
http://time.com/4999376/history-opioid-just-say-no/

CONTACT INFORMATION (Coach Bill):

Bill Eddy,
coachbill@magnetacademy.com
714.655.8135 (I prefer text)
When contacting me, please include your name and class information (day/time). Thanks!

Treating Criminal Justice-Involved Drug Abusers and Addicted Individuals,
Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide (Third Edition), Last Updated: January 2018
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/drug-addiction-treatment-in-united-states/treating-criminal-justice
Q: It states…
Often, drug abusers come into contact with the criminal justice system earlier than other health or social systems, presenting opportunities for intervention and treatment prior to, during, after, or in lieu of incarceration. Research has shown that combining criminal justice sanctions with drug treatment can be effective in decreasing drug abuse and related crime. Individuals under legal coercion tend to stay in treatment longer and do as well as or better than those not under legal pressure. Studies show that for incarcerated individuals with drug problems, starting drug abuse treatment in prison and continuing the same treatment upon release—in other words, a seamless continuum of services—results in better outcomes: less drug use and less criminal behavior. More information on how the criminal justice system can address the problem of drug addiction can be found in Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations: A Research-Based Guide (National Institute on Drug Abuse, revised 2012).

Framing drug and alcohol use as a public health problem in Britain: past and present,
Alex Mold, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, September 10, 2018
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6130767/

What is Harm Reduction
Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reductionAFF: Increasing Respect for Human Rights
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
Respecting the rights of people who use drugs – Harm reduction is fundamentally grounded in principles that aim to protect human rights and improve public health. Treating people who use drugs—along with their families and communities—with compassion and dignity is integral to harm reduction. The use of drugs does not mean people forfeit their human rights – they remain entitled to the right to life, to the highest attainable standard of health, to social services, to privacy, to freedom from arbitrary detention and to freedom from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, among others.

AFF (Broad Definition): Harm Reduction Prioritizes Justice/Rights
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
Harm reduction refers to policies, programmes and practices that aim to minimize negative health, social and legal impacts associated with drug use, drug policies and drug laws. Harm reduction is grounded in justice and human rights – it focuses on positive change and on working with people without judgment, coercion, discrimination, or requiring that they stop using drugs as a precondition of support.

AFF (Operational Definition): Harm Reduction as Public Health Approach
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
Harm reduction encompasses a range of health and social services and practices that apply to illicit and licit drugs. These include, but are not limited to, drug consumption rooms, needle and syringe programmes, non-abstinence-based housing and employment initiatives, drug checking, overdose prevention and reversal, psychosocial support, and the provision of information on safer drug use. Approaches such as these are cost-effective, evidence-based and have a positive impact on individual and community health.

AFF: Public Health Interventions = Proven, Feasible & Cost-Effective
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
A commitment to evidence – Harm reduction policies and practices are informed by a strong body of evidence that shows interventions to be practical, feasible, effective, safe and cost-effective in diverse social, cultural and economic settings. Most harm reduction interventions are easy to implement and inexpensive, and all have a strong positive impact on individual and community health.

AFF: Addressing Discriminatory Barriers to Treatment
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
A commitment to social justice and collaborating with networks of people who use drugs – Harm reduction is rooted in a commitment to addressing discrimination and ensuring that nobody is excluded from the health and social services they may need because of their drug use, their race, their gender, their gender identity, their sexual orientation, their choice of work, or their economic status. People should be able to access services without having to overcome unnecessary barriers, including burdensome, discriminatory regulations. Further, the meaningful involvement of people who use drugs in designing, implementing and evaluating programmes and policies that serve them is central to harm reduction.

AFF: CJS = Furthers Dehumanizing Stigmatization of Drug Use
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
The avoidance of stigma – Harm reduction practitioners accept people who use drugs as they are and are committed to meeting them “where they are” in their lives without judgment. Terminology and language should always convey respect and avoid stigmatizing terms[1] or divisions between “good” and “bad” drugs. Stigmatizing language perpetuates harmful stereotypes, and creates barriers to health and social services.

AFF: Urgent Need for Positive Change (vs. Coercive Interventions)
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
Keep people alive and encourage positive change in their lives – Keeping people who use drugs alive and protecting their health[2] are the most urgent priorities. Harm reduction approaches are facilitative rather than coercive, and aim to reinforce positive change in a person’s life, no matter how small or incremental that change may be. Recognizing that only a small percentage of people who use drugs experience problematic use, harm reduction may also help people maximize any potential benefits that they gain from using drugs.

AFF: CJS = Exacerbates Risk/Harm to Individuals/Communities
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
Reduce the harms of drug laws and policy – Harm reduction seeks to improve drug laws, policies and law enforcement practices, so that they are not detrimental to the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs and their communities. Many policies around the world create and exacerbate the potential risk and harms of drug use. These include: the criminalisation of people who use drugs; abusive and corrupt policing practices; the denial of life-saving medical care and harm reduction services; restrictions on possession of injecting paraphernalia; forced urine testing and detention in the name of rehabilitation; and, discrimination based on drug use, class, race, and gender. Harm reduction challenges international and national laws, and policies that contribute to drug-related harms.

AFF: Corruption/Discrimination in Drug Laws/Policies
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
Reduce the harms of drug laws and policy – Harm reduction seeks to improve drug laws, policies and law enforcement practices, so that they are not detrimental to the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs and their communities. Many policies around the world create and exacerbate the potential risk and harms of drug use. These include: the criminalisation of people who use drugs; abusive and corrupt policing practices; the denial of life-saving medical care and harm reduction services; restrictions on possession of injecting paraphernalia; forced urine testing and detention in the name of rehabilitation; and, discrimination based on drug use, class, race, and gender. Harm reduction challenges international and national laws, and policies that contribute to drug-related harms.

AFF: PHA = Healthy Interventions Must Never Use Coercion/Force
S: According to… Harm Reduction International, Last Accessed: April 2019
https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction
Q: It states…
Offer alternatives to approaches that seek to prevent or end drug use – Access to high quality, evidence-based prevention, care and treatment programs, including approaches that involve cessation of drug use, are important for some people. Entry into treatment should be on the terms of the individual and must never be forced. Many people who use drugs do not need treatment, and those experiencing problems associated with drug use may be unwilling or unable to enter abstinence-only treatment for myriad reasons. While abstinence from drug use may be the goal for some people who use drugs this is an individual choice and should not be imposed, or regarded as the only option.