“We’ve been claiming that Prop. 36 is going to increase the jail population, of course, but they’re increasing it into an already failed and broken system where people’s lives are lost from neglect. If you put more pressure and more activity on this, it’s gonna fail even more,” Miller said. 

Many are asking: Is the movement for criminal justice reform in California dead? The answer is no.

Californians want to ensure there is treatment for addiction, address the housing crisis and make our state more affordable for all.

Several California-based activist organizations discussed how the upcoming state ballot measure, Proposition 36, may harm public safety.

Governor Newsom signed AB 2136, authored by Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer, removing legal barriers to establishing more drug checking programs in the state. The bill will also increase participation by providing much needed protections for those involved in these services.

A formerly incarcerated Californian worries that the type of rehabilitation programs that changed his life will be lost if resources are spent filling prisons.

People in Los Angeles County now have access to naloxone — the medication that can reduce the effects of an opioid overdose — in more places than ever before, including schools, churches, libraries and jails.

And that may be a key reason why the number of drug overdose deaths in the county plateaued last year, after more than eight years of alarming year-over-year increases, county officials said…

"The war on drugs is quite reminiscent of the phrase, 'The beatings will continue until morale improves,'" said AMA Connecticut delegate Ryan Englander. "We have tried for decades to criminalize our way out of a substance use crisis in this country, and it has not worked."

It was the third time that the woman had used drugs or alcohol since coming to CRI-Help, which runs a 135-bed residential facility in North Hollywood where people are treated for substance use disorder.

CRI-Help needed to be a safe place for people grappling with their addictions. In the past, others had been removed for less. Horejsi, the clinical director, had the final say on whether she should be discharged.

Programs like needle exchanges and safe-consumption sites can lead to fewer deaths and help connect users to treatment. Without harm reduction, experts said, the city’s fentanyl crisis might well be far deadlier.

As of Jan. 1, it’s illegal for most California employers to discriminate against cannabis users or even ask about past cannabis use on job applications, thanks to a pair of new laws that increase workplace protections for cannabis users.

Assembly Bill 2188 includes a major change to how employers can conduct drug tests