Race and Poverty
Black and Latinx individuals are more likely to be arrested or punished for drug use instead of receiving this type of supportive intervention.
What is treatment?
This term refers to the challenges faced by people who lack official legal permission to live in a country, which can increase stress and vulnerability to substance use.
What is undocumented immigration status?
This common term is used to describe the unique, chronic stress experienced by LGBTQ+ individuals due to prejudice and discrimination, which is a major driver of substance use.
What is Minority Stress?
This term describes negative beliefs and discrimination directed toward people who use drugs, often leading to social exclusion and fewer opportunities.
What is stigma?
This historic drug-policy disparity led to far harsher prison sentences for Black communities despite similar rates of drug use across races.
What is the crack vs. powder cocaine sentencing gap?
Immigrants without stable legal status often avoid seeking addiction treatment because they fear interaction with this type of federal authority.
What is immigration enforcement?
The lack of this crucial element in a treatment center—often resulting from uniformed staff or non-inclusive intake forms—is what makes LGBTQ+ patients reluctant to disclose their identity and specific trauma.
What is Culturally Competent Care?
In many countries, including the U.S., people with substance use disorders are more likely to experience this from law enforcement rather than receive medical treatment.
What is criminalization?
People living in poverty face more stress, unsafe environments, and limited access to recovery services, all of which increase their risk for this.
What is substance use or addiction?
This major barrier—often involving cost, insurance, and unfamiliarity with systems—prevents many immigrants from accessing substance use treatment services.
What is limited access to healthcare?
This core social value is violated when an LGBTQ+ person receives hostile or non-affirming care, resulting in their treatment being decoupled from respect and inherent worth.
What is Human Dignity?
People with substance use disorders and criminal justice involvement are often denied this type of care, despite having higher rates of mental and physical health problems.
What is adequate healthcare?
The fact that racial minorities experience more punishment than treatment for drug offenses is an example of this larger societal problem.
What is systemic racism?
This process of adjusting to a new culture can create stress that contributes to substance use risk among immigrant communities.
What is acculturation?
This policy objective is the institutional process of shifting away from punitive measures and ensuring that all staff are trained to address underlying trauma.
What is Trauma-Informed Care?
Research shows that punitive drug policies disproportionately affect marginalized communities, particularly racial minorities, which is an example of this broader social injustice.
What is structural inequality?
Because treatment centers are less common in poor neighborhoods, many individuals must rely on this overburdened system instead of receiving specialized addiction care.
What are emergency rooms?
Because immigration-related stress can worsen mental health, many treatment programs now focus on this combined approach that addresses both mental health and substance use.
What is integrated or dual-diagnosis treatment?
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health these two specific groups within the LGBTQ+ community reported a high perceived need for SUD treatment, despite having low actual utilization rates.
Who are Gay Men and Bisexual Women?
According to studies, people with substance use disorders are often subjected to coercive interventions, involuntary treatment, or incarceration, violating this set of protections.
What are human rights?