Back [[Framework to understand addiction management challenges]] _(Challenges related to laws, regulations, and systemic policies)_ ## Legal Barriers - **Criminalization**: Continued criminalization of substance use and people who use drugs - **Child custody**: Parents fear losing custody of children if they disclose substance use - **Incarceration concerns**: Fear of legal consequences if treatment records are accessed - **Restrictive policies**: No legal structure for organizational relationships (prisons–medical settings, community–correctional) ## Policy Direction - **Enforcement over harm reduction**: Policies favor punishment rather than treatment, exclusionary attitudes - **Missing vulnerable groups**: Lack of focus on sub-communities (e.g., youth, women, marginalized populations) - **No lived experience involvement**: People who use drugs excluded from decision-making or governance ## System Coordination - **Fragmentation**: Lack of linkage/coordination between correctional and community treatment providers - **Disclosure barriers**: Policies that prevent information sharing between services - **Regulatory burden**: Excessive paperwork, reporting requirements, rigid program rules ## Public Health Infrastructure - **Limited prevention**: Absence of national body for problem drinking, poor public health education - **Marketing regulation**: Alcohol marketing not restricted, no advertising controls - **Integration gaps**: Poor coordination between community agencies and hospitals