PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The US overdose crisis continues to worsen and is disproportionately harming Black and Hispanic/Latino people. Although the \"War on Drugs\" continues to shape drug policy-at the disproportionate expense of Black and Hispanic/Latino people-states have taken some steps to reduce War on Drugs-related harms and adopt a public health-centered approach. However, the rhetoric regarding these changes has, in many cases, outstripped reality. Using overdose Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) as a case study, we argue that public health-oriented policy changes made in some states are undercut by the broader enduring environment of a structurally racist drug criminalization agenda that continues to permeate and constrict most attempts at change. Drawing from our collective experiences in public health research and practice, we describe 3 key barriers to GSL effectiveness: the narrow parameters within which they apply, the fact that they are subject to police discretion, and the passage of competing laws that further criminalize people who use illicit drugs. All reveal a persisting climate of drug criminalization that may reduce policy effectiveness and explain why current reforms may be destined for failure and further disadvantage Black and Hispanic/Latino people who use drugs. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(S1):S43-S48. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307037).
摘要：
美国用药过量危机继续恶化，并不成比例地伤害黑人和西班牙裔/拉丁裔人。尽管“毒品战争”继续塑造毒品政策-以黑人和西班牙裔/拉丁美洲人的不成比例的代价-各州已采取一些措施来减少与毒品战争有关的危害，并采取以公共卫生为中心的方法。然而,关于这些变化的言论，在许多情况下,超越现实。使用过量的好撒玛利亚法律（GSL）作为案例研究，我们认为，一些州以公共卫生为导向的政策变化被结构性种族主义毒品犯罪化议程这一更广泛的持久环境所削弱，该议程继续渗透和限制大多数变革尝试。借鉴我们在公共卫生研究和实践方面的集体经验，我们描述了GSL有效性的三个关键障碍：它们适用的狭窄参数，事实上，他们受到警方的自由裁量权，以及通过竞争法律，进一步将使用非法药物的人定为犯罪。所有这些都揭示了持续存在的毒品犯罪化气氛，这可能会降低政策的有效性，并解释了为什么当前的改革可能注定要失败，并进一步使使用毒品的黑人和西班牙裔/拉丁裔人处于不利地位。（AmJ公共卫生。2023年；113（S1）：S43-S48。https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.202.307037).
