Viewpoint

Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images
+May 21, 2012

The Case of Cameron Douglas: Prison Is Not Rehab, Say Addiction Experts

By Maia Szalavitz

An unusually harsh prison sentence handed down to the drug-addicted son of actor Michael Douglas has prompted addiction experts to indict the courts for ignoring the treatment needs of inmates.

May 18, 2012

Why Cell Phones Are Bad for Parenting

By Dominique Browning
Sally Anscombe / Getty Images

Kids can tell when they don’t have their parents’ full attention. Dominique Browning argues it’s time for parents to put down their cell phones before it’s too late. Read her full opinion piece on our companion blog Ideas.

+May 18, 2012

Traces of Marijuana Found in Trayvon Martin’s Body: Does It Matter?

By Maia Szalavitz
Reuters

News that the Florida teen’s autopsy revealed trace amounts of THC shouldn’t be misinterpreted to equate marijuana use with violence.

May 14, 2012

Do Black Women Really Want to Be Fat?

By Noliwe M. Rooks
Robert Nicholas / Getty Images

Novelist Alice Randall says black women make the choice to remain overweight, but other research shows social and environmental factors can also play a huge role. Read Noliwe M. Rook’s full opinion piece on our companion blog Ideas.

+May 4, 2012

DEA Abandons Student in Cell for Days: This Is Your Policy on Drugs

By Maia Szalavitz
K.C. Alfred / AP

The nightmarish ordeal of a San Diego man, locked up and seemingly forgotten, raises questions about the Drug Enforcement Administration’s handling of people in custody — and the U.S.’s dubious drug policy.

+April 25, 2012

Debt Collectors in the E.R. and Delivery Room: Is Profit-Driven Medicine at a Breakpoint?

By Maia Szalavitz
Adam Gault / Digital Vision / Getty Images

Imagine that you’ve brought your child to the emergency room and you’re revealing your most private health information to the hospital staff member at the desk, desperate because you fear your child’s very life is at risk. But the desk clerk seems more concerned about getting paid than giving care, and even makes veiled threats against [...]

+April 6, 2012

Are Medical Marijuana Raids the Price We Must Pay for National Health Care?

By Maia Szalavitz

The legal precedent that allows federal raids on state-permitted medical marijuana providers may be the key ruling that will enable President Obama’s health care plan to survive the Supreme Court.

+February 21, 2012

Congress O.K.’s Drug-Testing the Unemployed: Will It Fight Addiction?

By Maia Szalavitz

Who benefits from forced drug tests? No one but the companies that make drug tests.

+January 24, 2012

The Perils of ‘Metabolic Chauvinism’

By Maia Szalavitz

A reporter’s notes from a recent scientific conference

+Medical Insider | January 23, 2012

Can Better Access to Health Care Really Lower Costs?

By Dr. Jesse M. Pines and Dr. Zachary F. Meisel
Lauren Burke / Getty Images

Concierge medicine versus patient-centered medical homes: debating the benefits of enhanced access to care