How Can Drug Decriminalization Be Built to Last?

How Can Drug Decriminalization Be Built to Last?

In public drug policy conversations, decriminalization has too often been framed as a catch-all solution to drug-related issues, from overdose and stigma to health care access and public drug use. It’s easy to see why—especially in the heat of campaigns pushing for long-overdue reform—but overpromising can be dangerous. While decriminalization is rightly celebrated as a progressive improvement to punitive drug laws, the global reality is messy: …