The mayor of Paris has been struggling for years with crack users. Faced with the same type of problem, California plans to treat it at the source… by paying drug addicts to stay sober.
- Stalingrad, Barbès, Gare du Nord, La Chapelle… For thirty years, Parisian crack consumers have been sent from one place to another, and disturb the inhabitants.
- Considered the drug of the poor, crack is extremely addictive.
While the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo has drawn the ire of her political opponents by wanting to open four new sites for crack users in the capital, California is considering a much more radical method to get rid of drug problems: pay drug addicts to stay sober.
A technique used on former soldiers
The federal government has been doing this for years with its military veterans, and research shows it’s one of the most effective ways to get them to stop using drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine.
The system works as follows: over a period of time, addicts receive small sums for each negative drug test. People who complete their treatment journey without a positive test can earn up to a few hundred dollars, depending on the length of treatment. Ex-addicts usually receive this money in the form of a gift card.
A bill
In view of these results, Governor Gavin Newsom therefore asked the federal government for authorization to use taxpayers’ money to fund a similar drug treatment program.
An identical bill is pending in the California legislature, controlled by Democrats. It has already been passed by the Senate without opposition. “I think this strategy has something for everyone,” said Senator Scott Wiener, Democrat of San Francisco and author of the bill. “The most important thing is that it works.”
The cost of the program depends on the number of participants. A program helping 1,000 dependents could cost up to $286,000.
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