Justice, Race & Responsibility in Public Health

I’m encouraging the National Institute on Drug Abuse—as well as other federal agencies—to acknowledge their complicity in perpetuating discriminatory and dangerous narratives around drug use.

In a recent letter, the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) acknowledged drug use has been used as a “lever to suppress people of a particular race”.

Unfortunately, Dr. Volkow neglected to take any responsibility for her organization’s role in perpetuating these injustices.

So we decided to write back.

Dear Dr. Volkow —

Thank you for using your platform to draw attention to the discriminatory enforcement of our country’s anti-drug policies. And while we appreciate your acknowledgement that our drug policies have traditionally been used “as a lever to suppress people of a particular race”, it’s quite disappointing that you were unable — or unwilling — to acknowledge how you and NIDA continue to play a critical role in…