Global Commission on Drug Policy
Takes Stand Against Drug War
Recommends Compassion
Not Incarceration
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the war on drugs – a critical time to shine a spotlight on 40 years of failed policy.
Since the declaration of a “war on drugs” 40 years ago:
• Millions of people have been incarcerated for low-level drug law violations, resulting in drastic racial disparities in the prison system, yet drug overdose, addiction and misuse are more prevalent than ever.
• Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost to drug overdose because cost-effective and lifesaving interventions are not sufficiently available.
• The war on drugs costs the government at least $51 billion per year at the state and federal level. That’s $169 for every man, woman and child in America – and that’s not counting opportunity costs or costs at the local level.
The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world. Fifty years after the initiation of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and 40 years after President Nixon launched the US government’s war on drugs, fundamental reforms in national and global drug control policies are urgently needed.
Read the Commission's findings and recommendations - Click Here
Families ACT! story gets International Coverage
Andrew Purcell-Scottish Journalist's blog - Click Here
Do You Know Someone...Who is depressed or bipolar? Who is using drugs? Who has been sent to jail? The dual crises of mental illness and drug addiction affect our entire community. We need compassionate treatment for our loved ones and comprehensive change in our mental health and criminal justice system. Meet our loved ones, read their stories ...
Help Prevent Homelessness:
Will your son or daughter end up in jail instead of getting the treatment he/she desperately needs? Mental illness is not a crime!
*SB Teens Survey the Homeless: http://helpingthehomeless.tumblr.com/
Let's put the Justice back into the
Criminal Justice System!
End the Drug War and redirect funding to TREATMENT!
Survival Santa Barbara:
Beyond Socks and Blankets Forum
Press Conference at the
Sheriff's Department
Community Forum for City Council Seat
Dec 5th 2010 Co-Sponsored by F-ACT,
SB Homeless Blog and
SB Women's Political Committee
War on Drugs a Failure Says
Global Commission on Drug Policy
The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world. Fifty years after the initiation of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and 40 years after President Nixon launched the US government’s war on drugs, fundamental reforms in national and global drug control policies are urgently needed. Read more
Join Families ACT! on June 17th for a Teach-in and Vigil on the 40th Anniversary of the Launch of the War on Drugs!
Stop the War Crimes! Stop the War!
Task Force Seeks
Comprehensive Solutions
Families ACT! has convened the Santa Barbara Task Force on Co-Occurring Disorders to address the critical need for effective and compassionate integrated treatment options including residential treatment and medically supervised detox facilities as alternatives to incarceration. Representatives from the Public Defenders office, Santa Barbara County ADMHS, Cottage Hospital, CADA, community based non-profits providing mental health and substance abuse treatment the various departments in the Criminal Justice System and family, consumer and homeless advocates are participating as stakeholders in this important collaborative effort.
Families United to Save Lives
Families ACT! came into existence in the aftermath of a tragic cluster of deaths among dually diagnosed young adults in Santa Barbara, California in the winter of 2005-06. We bring together concerned individuals, families, and people struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues for mutual support and empowerment.
Families ACT! is dedicated to changing the way people with mental health issues and co-occurring substance use issues are viewed by the public. We are dedicated to expanding dual diagnosis treatment options in our communities and to changing policy at the local, state and national level.
Treatment, Not Jail, for the Dually Diagnosed
In the last decade, U.S. jails and prisons have become de facto mental institutions as a result of the closing of mental hospitals, the escalating numbers of Americans with emotional and mental disorders, their tendency to self-medicate, the wide availability of drugs and pharmaceuticals, the passage of tough drug sentencing laws, the dismal failure of the so-called "war on drugs" and the lack of adequate community-based residential detox and treatment centers.
People with mental health and co-occurring substance-use disorders cycle in and out of jail and prison, in and out of psychiatric facilities for brief 72-hour "holds," in and out of court-ordered sober living homes with no professional staff, where they are traumatized and demoralized, too often ending up homeless or dead. Too many individuals professions, institutions and corporations are living off of their ordeal. We have come together to join hands with people of goodwill to stop this and to find creative ways to ensure public safety by advocating for compassionate and effective prevention and treatment rather than the current ineffective and inhumane punishment-driven approach.
We want to see police and judges , probation officers and district attorneys, county, city and service agencies working with us and collaborating to promote wellness rather than mass incarceration!
Information, Support Services and More ...
Families ACT! offers a variety of support and services for individuals and families including:
- Referrals to local resources residential treatment centers - Call our Hot-line
- Help navigating the mental health, social security, substance use and criminal justice systems - Learn more ...
- Monthly support group meetings (free) Tuesdays 7-8 pm in the Lovelace Room in the Wright Building behind Phoenix of SB. Call 637-1339 for details
- Weekley action meetings focused on advocating for change and educating the public . Tuesdays 8-9 pm in the Lovelace Room: 110 La Paz Ave, Santa Barbara Call 637-1339 for directions
- Families ACT! Resources and Library - Check it out ...
- Opportunities to meet with administrators in mental health and criminal justice - Attend our Task Force meetings ...
- An opportunity to tell your story to people who care