California could be the first US state to offer money to drug addicts who successfully quit drugs. The local authorities are thus seeking to put an end to the surge in the number of deaths by overdose on their territory. Governor Gavin Newsom has officially asked the United States government for permission to put in place such a device, reports Associated Press.
A similar measure successfully applied
A similar measure has already been applied with success nationwide to veterans suffering from drug addiction. Studies have shown the system to be effective in combating the devastating effects of cocaine or methamphetamine use. There is indeed no drug treatment that can replace these drugs.
The affected individuals underwent regular drug testing and received awards or financial support for each negative result. At the end of the program, they received several hundred dollars, often distributed as a gift certificate.
A rising death toll
Gavin Newsom has indicated that he wants to pay Californian drug addicts via public health insurance Medicaid, intended for the most precarious or people with disabilities. Parliamentarians from the State of California have for their part proposed a law in the same direction. The text has already been voted on by the Senate and will be submitted to the Local Assembly.
Defenders of the measure insist on its already proven effectiveness and its minimal cost compared to the annual operating budget of the State, which exceeds 262 billion dollars (approximately 221 billion euros). The device proposed by the governor would leave the freedom to each county whether or not to apply the compensation program. The law of parliamentarians would concern the whole state.
The number of deaths from overdose of stimulant substances increased fourfold between 2010 and 2019 in California. It has also increased by 42% in one year between 2019 and 2020, according to the first available data.
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