AUDIO – PROFITS BEFORE PEOPLE? –
Oct. 25, 2025 – Big addiction treatment “campuses” aren’t allowed in residential neighborhoods without special permits. But providers in California get around that by clustering many small homes together — one treating 30 users at a pop! — and regulators haven’t raised an eyebrow.
It took almost three months for them to investigate serious complaints — like patient deaths in addiction treatment homes — and more than a year to probe less serious complaints. That lag means problems may fester and put patient safety at risk — but it’s a vast improvement over a few years ago.
And when the state brought its weight to bear on unlicensed homes illegally advertising or providing services that require a license, regulators didn’t always bother to venture out to see for themselves what was actually happening, and/or didn’t follow up to make sure the folks they told to stand down actually stood down.
