“The Hyannis Consensus” Promotes Prevention and Recovery as Drug Use Expands
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Leading minds from science, medicine, and professionals who deal with America’s addiction crisis have completed a dramatic new national blueprint for handing our drug policy.
Unveiled today on Capitol Hill by former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, former senior drug policy advisor to President Obama Dr. Kevin Sabet, and leadership for the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS), The Hyannis Consensus: A Blueprint for Effective Drug Policy outlines comprehensive solutions that should be scaled up by decision-makers to prevent drug use, treat addiction, and forge pathways to recovery.
The report featured extensive contributions from numerous leaders in the field of drug policy, including Pat Clay; Jonathan P. Caulkins, Ph.D.; State Rep. Lauren Davis (WA); Robert L. Dupont, MD; Sion Harris, Ph.D.; Keith Humphreys, Ph.D.; David Jernigan, Ph.D.; John Kelly, Ph.D.; Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH; Karen Tandy; and Ben Tucker, J.D.
“This project is groundbreaking and a long time coming. The Hyannis Consensus offers a strategic vision that addresses all facets of drug policy, with a focus on harnessing science to advance policies that promote prevention and recovery, instead of embracing drug use,” said FDPS President and CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet. The document, which is to serve as a road map for local, state and federal officials, took two years to complete.
“Parents, law enforcement, medical professionals, and those working on the frontlines of drug treatment have long hoped for an across-the-board resource that can be provided to lawmakers to help address the nation’s addiction crisis. Now such a resource is available and easily digestible. Building from the belief that we should discourage drug use and encourage treatment and prevention, we’ve developed an inclusive approach to drug policy that is easily adaptable by policy makers, implemented by those in the field, and supported by those whose loved ones are suffering from addiction,” Sabet said.
“Drug policy should be about empowering those suffering from addiction to lead clean, sober lives. Communities across the nation have been crippled by the rapid expansion of the addiction industry and its predatory agenda that seeks to hook a new generation of Americans on dangerous, psychoactive drugs. We can and must do better for our country, and as leader on a global scale,” said former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy.
In conjunction with the launch of The Hyannis Consensus, FDPS leadership met with House Republican Study Committee member Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO), Congressional Family Caucus Chair Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), leadership from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and leadership from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The Blueprint focuses on five key pillars:
- Prevention: If a child does not use substances by age 21, they are unlikely ever to do so. Unlike many other disorders, substance use disorders––and the preceding initiation of substance use––are preventable. This underscores the importance of primary prevention and the need for early intervention when a young person initiates substance use.
- Intervention and Treatment: Treatment must be expanded to meet the individualized needs of Americans with substance use disorder, a treatable condition with identifiable criteria in DSM-5. These treatment models—spanning the continuum from the earliest interventions to detoxification, then treatment and re-entry—must be developmentally personalized and grounded in evidence and acknowledge that all pathways to recovery are different.
- Recovery: To sustain recovery, individuals must have community and support services, including housing, support networks, and gainful employment. It is vitally important for individuals in recovery to build “recovery capital” to address the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual disturbances that characterize substance use disorders. Recovery is an ongoing process of growth to achieve the outcome of a substance-free life that allows an individual to reach their full potential. The only viable long-term solution to our addiction crisis is to get more people with substance use disorder into sustained recovery, shifting the industry to focus on outcomes, such as the number of people in recovery, rather than inputs, such as the number of participants offered treatment.
- Criminal Justice: Those who come into contact with the criminal justice system should be screened and diverted to treatment, when appropriate. Among these individuals, all punishments should be genuine, certain, and calibrated to redress harm, maximize deterrence, and reinforce healthy social norms. The primary approach for responding to individuals with substance use disorder should be to offer them an alternative to incarceration, primarily as participation in a drug court, which would provide them with the support and care they need.
- International Cooperation: Law enforcement agencies across all levels of government must work in coordination to reduce the production of drugs, the trafficking of them across our borders, and the sale of them to domestic users, in addition to targeting the financial networks that launder drug-related proceeds after the sale. Multinational cooperation, as well as leadership at international forums, plays a central role in addressing the globalized drug trade.
“We want to lift people up and encourage them to live sober lives free of addiction. That means instilling young people with an understanding about the harms these drugs present, providing treatment for those battling addiction, and empowering those in recovery,” Sabet said.
A full digital version of the report can be found at https://blueprint.gooddrugpolicy.org.
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