Image by JP Valery via Unsplash/Ton Tran Developments
California legislators want to pay addicts to remain sober to combat the state's rampant drug overdoses.
According to The Associated Press, Governor Gavin Newsom asked permission from the federal government for tax money to help people suffering from addictions stay sober. Similar legislation is currently in California's legislature, and it has passed the State Senate.
This process is known as contingency management and it's quite simple.
Addicts make money for every drug test they pass within a certain time period. AP says that once you have completed treatment and there are no drug tests back, you could earn up to a few hundred dollars in a gift certificate.
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Although it seems quite radical, the federal government has already used the concept to combat drug abuse among veterans. According to AP, research has shown it is extremely effective in treating drug addiction.
Tyrone Clifford, who participated in a similar program at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (a non-profit that offered a contingency management plan), is a great example of this concept in action.
Clifford stated to AP that he received $2 for his first positive drug test. The amount increased with each subsequent negative test. Clifford received $330 in the program after 12 weeks.
I thought I could do 12 weeks. Clifford said to AP that he had done it before while my dealer was in prison. After I'm done, I'll have 330 dollars to get high.
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Instead of spending his money on drugs, he bought a laptop to support him going back to school. He claims he hasn't used drugs since the end of the program and is now sober.
This program is an excellent example of how even though it seems radical, it can have a huge impact on the communities that most need it. California might soon see additional state-mandated contingency management programmes if it is successful.
READ MORE: California is looking to pay drug addicts so they can stay sober [AP]
More on sobriety. Every new car would be required to prove that you are sober.
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