Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • A ray of hope: Fighting codeine and tramadol abuse in Kano state

    Two groups in Nigeria are helping young men recover from drug addiction. The Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) uses their own process: embrace, sensitize, and rehabilitate by hosting weekly meetings for the recovering addicts. The Youth Awareness Forum Against Drug Addiction (YAFODA) has used multiple approaches to help 252 recovering addicts. The alarming statistic that “7 out of 10 youths in Kano state are involved in drug abuse” underscores the great need for these programs.

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  • Police in Illinois Are Helping Substance Abusers Get Into Rehab Instead of Arresting Them

    Dixon is the second police department in the United States to stop jailing drug addicts and start helping them check into rehab centers instead. “We’re changing the way law enforcement views addiction — to see it as a disease, not a crime,” says Police Detective Jeff Ragan. At least 267 people have gone through the Safe Passage program so far, some multiple times, but the program seems to be working. Residential burglaries, retail thefts, and drug arrests have dropped.

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  • France had a big heroin epidemic in the 1980s and '90s. Here's how the country fixed it.

    When France changed their policy in 1995, and allowed primary care doctors to prescribe buprenorphine, an anti-drug medication that reduces cravings for opioids, a drastic change happened. “Within four years, overdose deaths had declined by 79 percent.”

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  • In one Oklahoma county, the number of women in prison is falling. This treatment program might be why.

    Women in Recovery, is an 18 month intensive drug treatment program. However, women also have to undergo therapy and address their trauma. Then, some of the women have found work at S and R Compression, a company that has hired six women from the Women in Recovery program. ““From my past, everyone’s always seen the worst in me but now I have people who see the best in me and give me a chance and an opportunity.”

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  • How France Cut Heroin Overdoses by 79 Percent in 4 Years

    In 1995, following high rates of deaths by heroin overdose, France implemented new policies that allowed primary care physicians to prescribe buprenorphine, a drug that helps curb opiate cravings, to patients suffering from opioid addiction, drastically reducing overdose deaths. In the U.S., doctors are required to go through a special addiction training to be able to prescribe buprenorphine, meaning that very few U.S. doctors can prescribe it.

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  • These hospitals have become a home away from home in the Maasai's fight against TB

    In order to properly treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients who belong to Kenyan nomadic tribes, small villages consisting of individual huts have been constructed to comfortably house people during treatment. Treatment regimens can last between six months and two years.

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  • Giving vulnerable residents help before mental health issues land them in jail

    Kansas City is trying to prevent people who have mental health or substance abuse disorders, from committing crimes. In order to do that, the city created a police crisis intervention team. They help people access treatment through the Kansas City Assessment and Triage Center, or other treatment centers. “Everything we do here is to really bridge them into whatever that long-term need is.” It’s too early to tell if the method is working, but police officers, judges, and addicts, argue it is. “It's amazing. It puts a smile on my face every day, and I have got a future coming.”

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  • Sacramento's Quest to End Solitary Confinement for Kids

    Solitary Confinement on youth can be extremely emotionally damaging. The practice is also costly, and can lead to expensive lawsuits. Yet, a slew of states and youth detention centers are trying to reduce the time young people spend in solitary confinement. In the Sacramento Juvenile Detention, one program is doing that.

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  • 'It's been my compass': helping the homeless failed by the government

    Two social enterprises in London are making significant strides in helping out the homeless and rough sleepers. One, named Beam, uses a crowdfunding platform to help finance training and qualifications for work for a variety of professions, from beauticians to electricians. The other, named Overstream Clean, hires the homeless to perform cleaning and gardening work, and they advertise themselves as a cleaning company rather than a social enterprise. Those who have gone through the programs say that they feel empowered and motivated by the help offered by their community.

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  • As opioids land more women in prison, Ohio finds alternative treatments

    The Ohio Reformatory for Women is a prison that offers inmates a chance to enroll in Tapestry, an inpatient drug treatment program that tries to delve into the deeper causes women turn to drugs. It also believes in connecting women who are addicts with one another because “on the outside there’s not enough support.” The 18 month program is “about healing mind, body and spirit.”

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