Women In The United States Deserve Opioid Drug Policies That Improve Not Harm Their Health Outcomes

Abstract

This article explores the impact of the current drug policy on women in the US and ways to move drug policy forward in a gender-responsive way. It examines the two competing, incompatible perspectives on addiction: “health” or “moral weakness”. Due to a historical policy alignment with the “moral weakness” perspective, the current drug policies adversely affect a woman’s ability to receive evidence-based care and parent their children.