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California looking to pay drug addicts to stay sober

44 Comments
By ADAM BEAM

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44 Comments
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Newsoms desperate now. He understands his job is in jeopardy. Pull out all the stops.

3 ( +12 / -9 )

Great, of course not even the treatment needed, but only those incentives after checking would make me rich finally. But no, wait, it sounds like being only eligible if you were an addicted and try to stay clean afterwards. Unlucky me, as usual. lol

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Pay them to get vaccinated. They are professional needle users.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Gavin grasping at straws.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

They want the state to be the first to pay people to stay sober.

The federal government has been doing it for years with military veterans and research shows it is one of the most effective ways to get people to stop using drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, stimulants for which there are no pharmaceutical treatments available.

A UBI is necessity. There is a homeless problem.This needs to be addressed before paying addicts a special subsidy. There is such a thing as suicidal tendencies too which this will not solve.

In this case just legalize it.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

nice. in just a couple months, i can afford a new cardboard box for my home on skid row

now if only i could find some heroine to get addicted to…

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Not if Larry Elder wins.

Newsom is really worried now. He has done nearly everything but directly paying people for votes by now.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Where can I apply?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

A UBI is necessity. There is a homeless problem.This needs to be addressed before paying addicts a special subsidy. There is such a thing as suicidal tendencies too which this will not solve.

That's a very socialist way of looking at the problem: throw other people's money at it.

What they really should be focusing on is supporting families, especially helping people choose the right partners and stay together and raise children in a stable home. Low income isn't necessarily the cause of this horrific problem - there are loads of low-income families who stay together and raise well-adjusted children. It's the broken homes, poor choices and child abuse that is the elephant in the room. Reduce these problems and a big slice of the trauma that triggers violence and substance abuse will go away.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Sorry, but what a stupid idea. A somewhat similar idiotic idea has been floating around in NY City about paying criminals $1000 per month "not to commit crimes".

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Not going to help a damn bit with getting them to stay away from drugs!

Besides that, not all alcoholics are drug users either!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Add a 'managed dose' program (addicts get a maintenance dose, every couple of hours if necessary, as long as those are ALL they take) and a housing first program and you're set up to succeed AND save money.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

A nation in decline and about to fall off a cliff unless it returns to the morals and principles that made it great in the first place.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

The best thing to do is to treat drug addiction for what it is: a sickness.

But this, of course, would require a comprehensive system that could only be provided for by Medicare for All.

Which could only happen if Americans cared about one another.

Which they don't.

Even a post here is upset by "socialism" when asked to care for their fellow man.

The dialogue is always like this:

Someone: We need to help the suffering who come to our shores.

The right: No! Help Americans first!

Someone: OK, let's help Americans.

The right: No! That's socialism!

Someone: So why not try socialism? What is it?

The right: No! It's when the government gives money to people!

Someone: OK, so we should reduce funding for the military?

The right: No! Because I like it when we spend untold billions on machines that can kill people!

It's always the same.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Enlist them, never mind trying to rehab them.

Put them in the military, that'll sober them up real quick like.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Put them in the military, that'll sober them up real quick like.

The military may not be so keen to enlist them.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

A nation in decline and about to fall off a cliff unless it returns to the morals and principles that made it great in the first place.

yes, this is quite onvious.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What they really should be focusing on is supporting families, especially helping people choose the right partners and stay together and raise children in a stable home.

All of which with the associated means testing would cost more than the UBI. As well as that kind of social engineering is not really possible. But the point was just to bring up the canard of socialism and it is the fault of these broken families; and in the end do nothing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The democratic party is why the US is a cess pool now, they always twist the narrative take credit for things they didn't do and blame the republican party for things they screwed up. Gruesome is an idiot, California with Jerry doo doo Brown and Gruesome build what they called a rainy day fund of surplus money from over taxing citizens in the state of California to a tune of 74 billion dollars. Now Gruesome is saying he is spending 100 billion on infrastructure and other programs. If this idiot is spending what he has already he will be double downing to get it back if re-elected. He is a slick poli-tic a blood sucker. This is the main reason people are fleeing the state because of the homelessness the crime, and the taxes. The state has been controlled by Demo-rats and its falling apart!!! This is the very same reason the country is because you have Kamala Harris and Pelosi including half of Crazy Joe's staff from the state of california. Go figure, I can go on an on but the state is not what it is cracked up to be!! To expensive now with increased homelessness and crime!!! The incentive is not for the people to work but except handouts and thats why they come to california from all over.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This is just stupid. And exactly why I would use the term "Excessive Progressive" for the sheer naivete, and foolishness of what they want to do. I've had relatives who suffered from drug addiction in their past and present, one who has died in the past 3 years (in Los Angelos mind you) after decades of her life ruined in her cycle of addiction, and with attempts to help her through the state and family. Addiction is also not a "poverty" problem. Some people are well off and end up in poverty due to their addiction. There is a lot of "Not being held accountable for one's actions" going on here. There is no "You make personal choices, you get consequences" here. The REAL world doesn't work on ideals and pie in the sky dreams. Ideals can give you hope, but only if they're grounded in REALITY. Mental health comes first, depression comes first. Both are a problem when people are homeless. Some are homeless because of mental disorders like schizophrenia or other forms of dementia. Instead of throwing money at "possible" sobriety, put that money towards programs that focus on the underlying issue, mental health and homelessness.

Drug addiction can't start (unless you're the child of a drug addict, or prescription painkillers hook you) without someone making a personal choice to do addictive drugs. From what I've seen, the laws in CA are helping to increase and worsen the homelessness issue, followed by poorly planned legislature to effectively RESOLVE the issue with a coordinated effort of law enforcement. People can only get into addiction from CHOOSING to do so, and it is rare for people to be FORCED into becoming addicted.

The democratic party is why the US is a cess pool now, they always twist the narrative take credit for things they didn't do and blame the republican party for things they screwed up.

I just can't... I can't... this is so freakin' off the wall bizarre and hilarious. I've never seen such a random deflection, reversal, and projection in a single sentence in ever. Just WOW. The Dems definitely have their faults and I have no problem pointing that out. But just trying to turn this into some kind of "I'm rubber and you're glue" toxic hyperpartisanship scene when a particular "conservative" political group is actively aiming for authoritarian rule and destroying democracy in the US at it's very foundations, there is no comparison.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

In order to truly battle drug addiction one must look at WHY and the reasons behind it all in the first place. Mental and emotional health is the #1 problem in the world today, and too many ignoramuses who choose to be igmoramuses go around judging and condemning people who 'fall in the cracks', who are sick* and they just don't give a ***.

They cling to their outdated superstitions of 'My/Our (generstion)'s way is the only way' and 'everybody else is wrong, so screw them' attitudes. They are thick-headed, indifferent and arrogant, and they appoint themselves as psychiatrists and clergy and whatall without the education or experience and know-how and they just won't shut up. They flap their lips like Pac-Men, running their motormouths all the time but saying nothing and doing nothing.

And with more veterans coming home from Afghanistan there's going to be an increase in PTSD cases, substance abuse and mental/emotional illness problems coming up. Count on it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Good story. Positive reinforcement is a strong motivator.

Yes I agree. Paying people on drugs will provide a strong incentive for them to stay on drugs. Although I wouldn’t call that positive reinforcement.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This is stupid. Give them all the free drugs they want for 6 months instead. That's positive reinforcement.

The problem will solve itself.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The Twilight Zone.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

California is a joke. They facilitate drug use by handing out free paraphernalia and now they want to hand out money to fix the problem they created. Government at its finest.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

That's a very socialist way of looking at the problem: throw other people's money at it.

No. It is emphatically not socialism. It is positive reinforcement and anyone who has been in any kind of leadership position knows it works better than punishment.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

California is a joke. They facilitate drug use by handing out free paraphernalia and now they want to hand out money to fix the problem they created. Government at its finest.

It is indeed government at its finest. Needle exchanges are a proven way to reduce the spread of diseases like AIDs and Hepatitis among others. It does not promote drug use but it does reduce diseases that end up with people in ERs that the public has to pay for. Likewise paying people to stay sober ends up being more effective at keeping people sober while reducing costs. That little bit of incentive money is orders of magnitude less expensive to the taxpayer than incarcerating these same people. Sometimes punishment doesn't solve the problem but positive reinforcement does, a lesson any good leader learns early and well.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Paying people on drugs will provide a strong incentive for them to stay on drugs.

You have it backwards. The VA is paying people to stay drug free. One must pass drug tests to earn the incentive. If you do drugs and fail the test there is no payment.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Pay them, and if it works, then it should result in a net savings to society. Unfortunately however, right-wingers are allergic to the idea of someone getting something that they may not have earned, and would rather take the overall hit to society, rather than take a balanced approach of managing a problem. California is pretty left-wing though, so if it will have the potential to be properly tested anywhere in America, it will be in California.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Unfortunately however, right-wingers are allergic to the idea of someone getting something that they may not have earned, and would rather take the overall hit to society, rather than take a balanced approach of managing a problem. 

There are a substantial number of Americans who think punishment is the only way to solve problems. The bigger the problem the more harsh the punishment. You see it in how they raise their kids who go on to perpetuate this feature of American life. Good leadership involves knowing when to use positive reinforcement and when to use constructive feedback and punishment. There is a balance between the two that has to be found. Solving addiction, whether drugs or anything else requires some form of positive reinforcement to work. You can't punish someone to sobriety. Half a century of a war on drugs ought to make that painfully apparent. Nobody is all bad or all good. The job of a good leader is to find out what good qualities people have and build on these.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Desert TortoiseToday  06:20 am JST

That's a very socialist way of looking at the problem: throw other people's money at it.

No. It is emphatically not socialism. It is positive reinforcement and anyone who has been in any kind of leadership position knows it works better than punishment.

SOCIALISM. In America that word is used as a 'bogey' scare term by ignoramuses to get their sheeple to tremble and kowtow to their dunderhead egotistical agendas. They don't have a clue what socialism is or isn't. It's a catch phrase for the Pavlov dogs.

Desert TortoiseToday  06:58 am JST

Unfortunately however, right-wingers are allergic to the idea of someone getting something that they may not have earned, and would rather take the overall hit to society, rather than take a balanced approach of managing a problem. 

There are a substantial number of Americans who think punishment is the only way to solve problems. The bigger the problem the more harsh the punishment. You see it in how they raise their kids who go on to perpetuate this feature of American life. Good leadership involves knowing when to use positive reinforcement and when to use constructive feedback and punishment.

And these attitudes are not suitable for this modern world. It's 2021, not 1953. The lies, misinformation and outdated ideals and hypocracy that led to the unrest and crap of last year has shown that the 'spare the rod' idiom is a gross distortion of the Bible for the egomaniacs and sadists. These ideas are out of touch with what we now know and understand. Americans need to wake up, stop being so hypocritical and fanatical and hateful, and open their eyes and minds to what's there now. It's 2021. Some people have yet to enter the 21st Century, let alone the 20th.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Him losing would be the best thing for that State. He and Jerry Brown completely ruined that once beautiful State, Californians deserve better, Newsom needs to go, he’s done more than enough damage.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Drug addiction can't start (unless you're the child of a drug addict, or prescription painkillers hook you) without someone making a personal choice to do addictive drugs.

Addictive behaviors have a genetic component. You find addictive behaviors run in families. Some of it may be learned but there is also a genetic component to it that predisposes some towards addictions. In any event, even if bad decisions led to addiction, punishment won't cure it. It is a medical/psychological problem that requires a medical/psychological treatment. Throwing addicts away in jail is a costly way to mostly re-enforce their addictions and punish any good behaviors they may have once had.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In America that word is used as a 'bogey' scare term by ignoramuses to get their sheeple to tremble and kowtow to their dunderhead egotistical agendas.

Ask any Cuban that has immigrated to the US, ask any North Korean or people from Hong Kong that have fled what they think about Communism.

They don't have a clue what socialism is or isn't. It's a catch phrase for the Pavlov dogs.

My grandmother was from the former East German, she did and taught us, so I and millions in the US who fled or had parents that grew up under this depressive and evil system knows better.

And these attitudes are not suitable for this modern world. It's 2021, not 1953. The lies, misinformation and outdated ideals and hypocracy that led to the unrest and crap of last year has shown that the 'spare the rod' idiom is a gross distortion of the Bible for the egomaniacs and sadists. These ideas are out of touch with what we now know and understand. Americans need to wake up, stop being so hypocritical and fanatical and hateful, and open their eyes and minds to what's there now. It's 2021. Some people have yet to enter the 21st Century, let alone the 20th.

What a load of garbage. Lol

1 ( +1 / -0 )

SOCIALISM. In America that word is used as a 'bogey' scare term by ignoramuses to get their sheeple to tremble and kowtow to their dunderhead egotistical agendas.

Socialism is government ownership of the means of production. In other words no private businesses and often no private property. Paying addicts a little money to stay away from drugs as part of their treatment by tying payment to successful drug screenings is emphatically not socialism. It is a good deal cheaper than incarceration and when successful you return someone to the workforce instead of becoming a prison inmate we all have to pay for.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Paying addicts a little money to stay away from drugs as part of their treatment by tying payment to successful drug screenings is emphatically not socialism. It is a good deal cheaper than incarceration 

It’s not going to work. The only thing it will do is create more misery and suffering and making it a lot easier to gain access to drugs. Liberals will just be compounding to the situation.

https://www.soberforever.net/addictionblog/index.php/pitfalls-of-alternative-to-incarceration-programs/

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Him losing would be the best thing for that State. He and Jerry Brown completely ruined that once beautiful State, Californians deserve better,

World's number five economy making high tech products the entire world wants to buy. Yep, something to be ashamed of. Greatest agricultural producer in the US too. If you enjoy a salad in the winter anywhere in the US the greens came from the Imperial Valley.

The main problems California faces are a perennial shortage of water relative to the demand, and a harder to solve problem in that the very people who make those high tech things everybody in the world wants to buy (meaning software, websites, Google, Apple, eBay and the like) and that have propelled the California economy to number five in the world generally command very high salaries and they have in turn driven up home values and rents. There is no easy solution and anyone who says their is isn't paying attention. Nobody wants to kill the goose that lays the golden egg driving the California economy. But lower income Californians are having a hard time affording housing. Paving what is left of California's open space isn't the answer. State Senator Wiener thought requiring cities to permit high density housing along transportation corridors was the way to build more affordable housing without paving what is left of the unbuilt parts of the state but local homeowners in surrounding suburbs shouted that idea down twice. Most California home owners do not want high rise housing like one finds all over Asia and drop meaningful lawsuits any time any level of government proposes to allow these. There is only so much the state government can do at a local level without the cooperation of local government and most importantly homeowner groups. This is a stand off no governor will solve easily. Gov Newsome is using a carrot and stick approach, extra money for cities that resolve their homeless problems and reductions in money to cities that refuse. The larger problem of building affordable housing may require public laws that will draw great opposition from existing homeowners invested in the status quo and who have no interest in anything that they fear might reduce the value of their property.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It’s not going to work

It works for the VA.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Ask any Cuban that has immigrated to the US, ask any North Korean or people from Hong Kong that have fled what they think about Communism.

And what about asking those who haven't fled?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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