California Wants To Become The First State To Pay People With Addiction To Stay Sober, NPR

[appalachiablue]

- NPR, Aug. 26, 2021.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Frustrated by out-of-control increases in drug overdose deaths, California's leaders are trying something radical: They want the state to be the first to pay people to stay sober.

The federal government has been doing it for years with military veterans and research shows it is one of the most effective ways to get people to stop using drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, stimulants for which there are no pharmaceutical treatments available.

It works like this: People earn small incentives or payments for every negative drug test over a period of time. Most people who complete the treatment without any positive tests can earn a few hundred dollars. They usually get the money on a gift card.

It's called "contingency management" and Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked the federal government for permission to use tax dollars to pay for it through Medicaid, the joint state and federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled that covers nearly 14 million people in California...

More,
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/26/1031220835/california-bill-treatment-addiction

[TheRealNorth]

1. While Newsom is better than any Republican....

They can't seem to stop themselves from shooting their own feet. They got a housing crisis, water crisis, and wild fires, and they are worried about paying drug addicts?

[appalachiablue]

2. Strange prioities given the state's growing crises.

[Skittles]

3. addiction causes an enormous drain on city services

it IS one of the crises

[appalachiablue]

4. I well realize the impacts and damages

of long term addiction, it's part of the growing crises. Housing issues, homelessness, wildfires and more also need resources, it's not either/or.

[Skittles]

5. so NOT a "strange priority"

nope

[pjpossum]

6. Many of the homeless people have addiction problems.

If you are able to keep people sober, hopefully that will decrease many of the related issues. They might be able to keep a job. Maybe they will be better able to care for their families. Maybe they will less likely be the victim of crime or the perpetrator of a crime. It is the start of having a positive future.

[Aristus]

7. The best way to ensured continued sobriety for homeless people suffering from addiction

is to get them into housing. It's also the best first step to starting treatment for those who are not yet in recovery.

The protocol in the past has almost always been 'get 'em sober, then get 'em into housing'. The failure rate was around 70%. Someone figured out that the best way to improve the success rate is to change the protocol; get them into housing and then get them sober. The result was a change from a 70% failure rate to a 70% success rate.