"Health & Medical News"

From:
Treatment Research Institute
600 Public Ledger Building, 150 S. Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tel: (215) 399-0980
http://www.tresearch.org

Paying substance abuse treatment providers for results, not services, may lead to improved quality of care, according to the first published study of a novel performance-based contracting system implemented by the State of Delaware in 2002.

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The Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee rejected calls for marijuana decriminalization but approved legislation that would lower the penalties for possession of the drug, the? Burlington Free Press reported Feb. 8.

On a 4-1 vote, the committee agreed to eliminate the possibility of jail time for individuals caught with an ounce or less of marijuana, instead making them eligible for a court-ordered diversion program.

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Some Ohio lawmakers think they have the answer to the disparity between penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses: make the powder penalties as harsh as those for crack.

The Associated Press reported Oct. 25 that the Ohio Senate unanimously passed a measure that equalizes penalties for possession and trafficking of crack and cocaine by increasing the penalties for the latter. The Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers had called upon lawmakers to end what was viewed as a racially biased disparity by lowering the crack penalties to match those for powdered cocaine.

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