So Would Decriminalization –

July 12, 2019  – “Contact with the criminal justice system – both in terms of crime and imprisonment – among opioid-dependent people is associated with a significant economic burden to society and has many negative impacts,” lead study author Natasa Gisev of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center at the University of New South Wales in Sydney said by email.

Medications known as opioid agonists are among the most widely-used treatments for opioid dependence worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Researchers have begun examining how treatment with opioid agonists may affect contact with the criminal justice system. “Not all people who use heroin and other drugs commit crimes,” Gisev told Reuters Health. “In our study, 46% of people had no criminal convictions.”

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