Medicine is fundamentally not a simple enterprise, but the delivery and access of health care should be.
Viewpoint
The Case of Cameron Douglas: Prison Is Not Rehab, Say Addiction Experts
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.
Why Cell Phones Are Bad for Parenting
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.
Traces of Marijuana Found in Trayvon Martin’s Body: Does It Matter?
News that the Florida teen’s autopsy revealed trace amounts of THC shouldn’t be misinterpreted to equate marijuana use with violence.
Do Black Women Really Want to Be Fat?
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.
DEA Abandons Student in Cell for Days: This Is Your Policy on Drugs
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.
Debt Collectors in the E.R. and Delivery Room: Is Profit-Driven Medicine at a Breakpoint?
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. …
Are Medical Marijuana Raids the Price We Must Pay for National Health Care?
While federal agents were raiding a medical marijuana dispensary and the nation’s first pot trade school in Oakland, run by one of California’s most prominent legalization advocates, less than a mile a way, a gunman was murdering seven people at a Christian nursing school. The feds couldn’t have predicted the rampage, but it’s hard …
Congress O.K.’s Drug-Testing the Unemployed: Will It Fight Addiction?
Who benefits from forced drug tests? No one but the companies that make drug tests.
The Perils of ‘Metabolic Chauvinism’
A reporter’s notes from a recent scientific conference
Can Better Access to Health Care Really Lower Costs?
Concierge medicine versus patient-centered medical homes: debating the benefits of enhanced access to care
Champion of Pain Relief, Siobhan Reynolds Dead in Plane Crash
The pain community loses a pioneering activist
Should Your Doctor Be Napping on the Job?
Napping works great for preschoolers. Why not for tired doctors and nurses?