Bioethics in Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Number 1

30 Bioethics, the Law, and the Opioid Crisis The Current State of Law and Practice in the US For drug abuse in general There are many laws that apply to those who struggle with drug abuse and substance use disorders. Title 21 United States Code (USC) Controlled Substances Act designates that it is unlawful for any non-medical professional or dispenser to manufacture, distribute, or produce a controlled substance in any situation. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a division known as the Office of Diversion Control which is responsible for enforcing this act. 5 There has been a large increase in the number of those under some form of criminal justice supervision in the past twenty years. 6 Along with this, it seems that this increase in a population of those under supervision is indicative of a larger shift toward more strict laws and penalties associated with drug-related offenses. 7 For overdose and opioid addiction In August 2017, President Trump announced that he wanted to declare a state of national emergency as a response to the impending danger of the opioid crisis. 8 It is clear that opioid addiction is something that is being addressed on a national and international scale, but currently, our mainline method for addressing the opioid crisis is incarceration. Incarceration for opioid addiction is not necessarily the only option that the 5 Title 21 United States Code (USC) Controlled Substances Act, Drug Enforcement Administration Diversion Control Division, Accessed 04/11/2019. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/21cfr/21usc/index.html 6 Lauren Glaze, Thomas Bonczar, “Probation and Parole in the United States, 2005,” Washington, DC: Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics; 2006. Dept of Justice. 7 Eric Jensen, Jurg Gerber, Clayton Mosher, “Social consequences of the War on Drugs: the legacy of failed policy,” Criminal Justice Policy Review . 15, no. 1 (2004): 100-121. 8 Donald Trump, “President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis,” Interim Report. Washington, DC (2017). Accessed 04/15/2019, https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/presidents-commission.