Helpline
Call 1.855.378.4373 to schedule a call time with a specialist or visit scheduler.drugfree.org
Helpline
Helpline
Call 1.855.378.4373 to schedule a call time with a specialist

    We turn the knowledge and insights gained from research, and the experience of families impacted by addiction, into actionable policy recommendations.

    Our policy priorities focus on adopting a public health approach to addiction, increasing access to effective and affordable treatment, demanding resources for families, and effectively preventing addiction before it starts. We urge policymakers to take action and work with us to end our nation’s addiction crisis.

    Call to Action
    Ending the Opioid Crisis: A Practical Guide for State Policymakers

    Although the opioid epidemic is a national issue, states shoulder the majority of the financial and social burden caused by addiction. This guide shows state policymakers how to implement a public health approach to end the opioid epidemic.

    Learn more

    Adopting a public health approach to addiction

    Decades of research, by us and others, show that we can effectively end our nation’s addiction crisis by adopting a public health approach. For too long, solutions have been rooted in stigma and judgment, and they have proven ineffective.

    The disconnect between addiction medicine and mainstream medical practice has undermined effective addiction treatment, but there are steps we can take.
    Learn more
    This guide shows state policymakers how to implement a public health approach to end the opioid epidemic. Read More
    Learn more
    Despite a decline in recent years in the use of cigarettes, the use of non-cigarette nicotine products has been rising, posing a threat to public health.
    Learn more
    As the nation moves toward widescale legalization of marijuana, and possibly other psychoactive and potentially addictive substances, it is important to ensure that the regulatory environment around such legalization makes protecting young people a priority.
    Learn more

    Increasing access to treatment

    High out-of-pocket costs, inadequate insurance coverage and a lack of capacity to meet demand place effective treatment out of reach for far too many of those in need. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (Parity Act) along with provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are already in place with the intent to increase access to care. But the lack of enforcement and compliance, insufficient insurance coverage and other institutional barriers persist.

    In order to effectively manage and treat addiction, treatment must be fully integrated with the mainstream health care system. This policy brief provides recommendations for ways to achieve this integration and improve addiction treatment.
    Download brief
    There are numerous barriers to addiction treatment, but cost and lack of insurance coverage are the most common reasons people forgo the care they need.
    Learn more
    Nearly all of the 2017 EHB benchmark plans were non-compliant with ACA requirements or provided inadequate coverage of addiction benefits.
    Learn more
    The Parity Act has not put an end to restrictive coverage and limited reimbursement for substance use treatment in either private insurance or Medicaid.
    Learn more
    In collaboration with Legal Action Center we've explored key insurance barriers to affordable, timely and appropriate care for mental health and substance use. A four-report series offers recommendations to improve insurance regulation.
    Learn more

    Resources for Families

    Families are a highly effective, yet significantly underutilized resource in addressing substance use. Despite research supporting effective strategies for family involvement, families are often alienated by stigma and a treatment and reimbursement model that overlooks families and other concerned significant others. Organizations providing family support services have stepped in to help bridge the gap between what is known from the research about the importance of including and supporting families and the current barriers to family engagement, but these organizations lack funding and support.

    Decades of research show that when families are supported and armed with effective information, strategies and supports, they can significantly influence their loved one’s substance use along every point of the continuum, from prevention, through treatment engagement and completion, to recovery support, relapse prevention and harm reduction.
    Download brief

    Focusing on prevention & intervention

    As a country, we’ve neglected prevention efforts, fail to routinely screen for risky substance use and intervene only as needed. Of every state and federal tax dollar spent on problems related to addiction and substance use, less than 2 cents goes to prevention and treatment while 96 cents goes to managing the consequences of our failure to prevent and effectively treat them. We’re most effective when we can prevent an issue before it even starts.

    The undeniably best way to avoid the costly consequences of substance misuse and addiction is to invest in effective prevention and early intervention. This policy brief provides recommendations for adopting a comprehensive prevention strategy.
    Download brief
    Substance use prevention, along with treatment and recovery support, is perhaps the most critical component of the public health approach needed to transform how our nation addresses addiction.
    Download Report
    This annual survey helps parents better understand the experiences, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of their children in relation to substance use.
    Learn more
    It is essential to educate the population on adolescent substance use, which is the largest public health problem in America today.
    Learn more
    This guide includes literature, resources and a toolkit that will help practitioners implement SBIRT.
    Learn more
    In September, Friends of NIDA, the American Psychological Association and Partnership to End Addiction co-hosted a Congressional briefing called "Presenting New Directions in Substance Use Prevention." Experts discussed a growing body of research demonstrating the need for an earlier and broader approach to substance use prevention as well as how the current policy landscape can facilitate implementation of this new approach.
    Watch Video
    Substance use prevention, along with treatment and recovery support, is a key component of the public health approach needed to transform how our nation addresses addiction. A growing body of research on the effects of adverse and positive childhood experiences and on the importance of social and structural determinants of health have made it increasingly clear that an earlier and broader approach to prevention is necessary.
    Learn More
    Call to Action
    Policy position statements

    Learn more about our stance on today’s most pressing addiction issues.

    Read now

    About the Joseph A. Califano, Jr. Institute for Applied Policy

    The Joseph A. Califano, Jr. Institute for Applied Policy was created to conduct Partnership to End Addiction’s policy work. We are committed to translating the results of research into policy and practice. To this end, we are working to change the way the public and policymakers think about and respond to addiction—shifting from a punitive and stigmatizing approach to one of public health and medicine. We do this by creating practical, effective policy and practice-based solutions to prevent, treat and help find a cure for the disease of addiction.