So why all of this? Drug education affects so many aspects of social work and social justice:

From how we handle addiction and recovery
Destigmatizing drug use
Offering comprehensive education for families and loved ones impacted by an individual’s substance abuse
Teaching forgiveness to those who feel shame for their substance use or reliance
Finding root causes of drug use beyond “addiction is a disease” and solutions beyond pure sobriety

To how we heal from the War on Drugs
Ending the overpolicing of communities of color
Reducing incarceration rates of Black folks
Reparations for those who were harmed by the state because of discriminatory practices against drug users

Drug positive education is a part of holistic education initiatives
Teaching the student as a whole- not just a machine for math and history facts, but as a human who has emotional needs and life skills to develop

Putting bodily autonomy first in providing care
Giving people the tools they need and the empowerment to make decisions over their own bodies

Radical shift in perspective in what healing can look like
If drugs can be a tool for healing from PTSD, depression, or just a chance to have fun, we should support that

and decolonization of social work
building a new world that does not police others, but uplifts them