Addiction and the Law

The risk factors and consequences of substance use disorders (SUDs) have become even more prominent with the opioid crisis in the United States. Given our greater awareness of the links between SUDs and other mental illnesses, psychiatry and medicine have been developing new, less moralistic approaches to treat SUDs. Meanwhile, patients continue to run up against a legal system that can be morally inflexible. Clinicians must promote the best treatment for their patients while also being aware of