Harm Reduction

Discussing the implications of the new marijuana laws, and also the adoption of pharmacotherapy by the renowned Minnesota Model's founder, the Hazeldon Foundation, with guest Dr Kevin McCauley.

An editorial page blog in the NY Times asked the question ... with constant scandals ... should be just stop trying to fight the use of drugs in sport? and the corollary of the Portugal Experiment - decriminalizing drugs, and doing assessment and treatment, instead of punishment for drug users.

We look at addiction treatment models, Alcoholics Anonymous' 12-Step Program and other non-12 Steps models as well as the increased use of opioid antagonist drugs - nalaxone and nalmefene, for countering opiate overdoses, and with the potential to block craving for many addictions

Smoking in public is facing ever-greater restrictions; individuals, and the tobacco industries are pushing back in court. Meanwhile varenicline (Chantix) has been found to have serious cardiovascular side effects. And the state of Oregon mandating no smoking or be disqualified from state-supported treatment programs.

Homeboy Industries began in 1988, in one of the toughest neighborhoods of central Los Angeles. It has become one of the premier models for creating viable, successful alternatives to some of our most vexing social problems - in this case gangs and gang violence. Father Boyle and Dr Darryl Inaba chat about the history and philosophy.

NIDA's Monitoring the Future study shows increases in use of marijuana, heroin and pharmaceuticals by adolescents; a study in Europe shows that programs like DARE are not effective; government regulators grapple to keep up with street chemists creating new designer drugs, and a discussion of psychiatry's increasing dependence on drug therapy to the exclusion of talk therapy.