Drug reformers and harm reduction activists have praised the American Pharmacists Association for its official support of decriminalizing all drugs and paraphernalia.
The revised policy was adopted by the APhA House of Delegates late last month. This makes APhA one of the largest medical associations in the country to support decriminalization.
The plank states that “APhA is in favor of decriminalizing the possession or use of illicit drugs or their paraphernalia by individuals.”
The association is opposed to “legalizing the possession, sale or distribution of illicit drugs substances for non-medical purposes.”
APhA members, who were founded in 1852, and represent over 62,000 pharmacists nationwide, voted also to remove a previous policy plank which voiced support for drug courts as a criminal justice alternative pathway for those with drug related convictions.
A new policy states that it “supports the voluntary pathways for treatment and rehabilitation of those who have been charged or convicted of possession or use illicit drug substances, and who also have substance abuse or other medical disorders.”
#APhA2023 House of Delegates ready to start! pic.twitter.com/ZgeE7uoyXX
— APhA HQ March 24 2023
Sheila Vakharia is the deputy director of Drug Policy Alliance (DPA’s) Department of Research and Academic Engagement. She said in a Monday press release that “APhA’s historic statement acknowledges that criminalization and punishing will only harm those who are marginalized, and that pharmacists must work to increase access to harm reduction and treatment methods that can save lives.”
She said, “Over a million people have died from preventable overdoses during the current overdose crisis. It is now clearer than ever before that we need to move away a punitive attitude and adopt one based on compassion and public safety if we are to save lives.”
Adrienne Simmons is the director of programs for National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable. She added that “the association’s support to address substance use as a public health issue rather than as a criminal offense strengthens pharmacists as public health professionals, and is a crucial step towards addressing rising rates of overdoses and hepatitis C infections.”
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APhA, though not the only health association to support decriminalization, is the latest to do so as the public’s opinion has shifted from punitive laws to harm reduction policies that focus on health to combat the overdose epidemic.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine , which historically has aligned with prohibitionists and opposed modest marijuana reforms , called in February for the decriminalization of any currently illegal drugs , in the interests of public health, and racial equality.
The Minnesota Medical Association (MMA), another major medical group, also recently endorsed the decriminalization of drugs and expungements for low level possession.
A poll conducted last year showed that a majority of Americans support decriminalizing drugs. A majority of Americans support the operation overdose prevention centres where users can take illicit drugs in a medically-supervised environment and receive treatment.
Since voters were asked in a Data for Progress survey in 2021 about the proposal , they have increased their support by 10 percentage points.
In a number states in the U.S., including Massachusetts , New York , and Vermont — legislators have submitted drug decriminalization legislation to be considered for the session of 2023.
The first bill was filed in 2021 by the members of Congress to decriminalize all illicit drugs and to make possession a federal crime. They also sought to encourage states to do the same.
Nora Volkow is the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She said that last year, the criminalization of drug users must end to combat substance abuse.
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