The War on Drugs & Myths About Addiction Are Killing Our Kids | Colleen A. Cowles | TEDxWilmington

With over 523 people dying of drug related causes DAILY, this talk could literally save lives. Medicine and science bring us solutions to the addiction and overdose epidemic, but current policies are based on inaccurate and punitive assumptions from the 1930's. Attorney, mother, author, speaker and advocate Colleen Cowles brings personal and professional expertise to this topic and offers specific solutions and insight.

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Having to break the law in order to get her son medical treatment opened the eyes of Mom and Attorney Colleen A. Cowles to the dysfunction and deadly harm of our punitive approach to ‘treating’ addiction. This experience fueled Cowles’ research, advocacy and work with other families to answer the questions ‘How did we get here?’ and ‘What can we do that will actually solve the addiction and overdose epidemic’? She is author of the online course ’20 Steps to Freedom: A Parent’s Guide to Addiction’ and the book ‘War on Us: How the War on Drugs and Myths About Addiction Have Created a War on All of Us’. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx