THE FRIENDS OF NIDA

On March 15, the Friends of NIDA held a very successful briefing entitled, "Effectively Breaking the Cycle of Drugs and Crime: Research and Treatment Provide the Answers", which served to raise awareness of NIDA's Criminal Justice Addiction Treatment Services (CJDATS) research portfolio. The speakers included Nora Volkow, MD, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who provided an overview of the NIDA criminal justice treatment research portfolio. Dexter Manley, Director of Community Outreach, Second Genesis, Inc. and a former NFL football player, shared his journey through addiction, prison, treatment, and recovery. APA Fellow Dwayne Simpson, PhD, Director of the Institute of Behavioral Research, Texas Christian University, detailed treatment research results involving partnerships between scientists, offenders and the criminal justice system. The briefing drew over 120 guests, including personal and committee staff from 50 House and Senate offices.

We were especially pleased that Congressman Patrick Kennedy (Co-Chair of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus with Congressman Jim Ramstad), took time out of his busy schedule to provide concluding remarks on the importance of substance abuse research, funding and parity.

View Dr. Volkow’s presentation 

View Dr. Simpson’s presentation

View NIDA's fact sheet on drugs and crime