A newly proposed California bill would provide financial benefits to methamphetamine users who stay sober.
SB-888, introduced by San Francisco Democrat State Sen. Scott Wiener, would expand Medi-Cal treatment options, including programs that motivate meth users to stay sober by offering vouchers or cash.
The bill “intends to make these programs accessible on a wider scale by authorizing them to be reimbursable by Medi-Cal,” according to a statement from Wiener.
Wiener described the effort as a “proven method to help people get & stay sober.”
I introduced legislation to address meth addiction, for which there’s no medical treatment.
SB 888 legalizes Medi-Cal coverage for “contingency management” – $ incentives to stay in meth recovery.
It’s a proven method to help people get & stay sober. https://t.co/nwg7GhaUiD
— Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) February 26, 2020
Wiener, who gained national attention for co-sponsoring a bill to decriminalize knowingly spreading HIV to another person in 2017, defended the bill from critics on Twitter.
“The unhinged MAGA trolls get worked up over my criminal justice reform & public health work,” Wiener responded to criticism from actress Mindy Robinson. “This aggro MAGA thinks it’s good to lock people up for having HIV, to let people on meth die, & to force LGBT young people, but not straight young people, onto the sex offender registry.”
The unhinged MAGA trolls get worked up over my criminal justice reform & public health work.
This aggro MAGA thinks it’s good to lock people up for having HIV, to let people on meth die, & to force LGBT young people, but not straight young people, onto the sex offender registry. https://t.co/FGkDtNNbq4
— Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) February 28, 2020
Meth addiction is on the rise in California, and officials say overdoses in the state have risen 500% since 2008.
“Meth is king in California, and trends in California push east,” Drug Enforcement Administration agent Bill Bodner said about the growing problem in December. “Unfortunately, because of our proximity to the Mexico border, because of the cartel control of the region directly south of us here, we are gonna get flooded with whatever they can make money on. Right now, it’s methamphetamine.”
