Western States Wrestle With a Child Welfare Response to Addictive Drugs

Movement for Family Power Executive Director jasmine Sankofa said there is scant evidence of a causal link between parental drug use and child abuse. And as with excessive policing and family surveillance in the crack cocaine era, new laws meant to respond to dangerous drugs result in “children being weaponized,” with a disproportionate impact on Black and Indigenous parents, she said.

“Even though there’s evidence and experts who are out there screaming from the rooftops that this does not work, we’re still seeing lawmakers push these bills,” she said, “even though we know that something that they’re proposing won’t work and will only do more harm to families.”