Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled a bold proposal to address the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis through a new model of drug rehabilitation: “wellness farms.” Drawing on his long-standing commitment to public health and environmental activism, Kennedy envisions these farms as serene, holistic spaces where individuals struggling with addiction can find healing. The farms would focuse more on peer-to-peer support and behavioral strategies for addiction, rather than relying on medication-based treatments like methadone or buprenorphine, which are designed to reduce the intense cravings for opioids that often lead to relapses.
Kennedy, who has struggled with addiction to substances such as cocaine and heroin, is advocating to different solutions to treating people. While wellness farms is not a new concept, they are based on a framework known as a “therapeutic community” model to help those addicted to antidepressants, stimulants, and anti-anxiety medications.
“I’m going to make it so people can go, if you’re convicted of a drug offense, or if you have a drug problem, you can go to one of these places for free,” he said.
Kennedy stated he would fund the wellness farms through a tax on cannabis sales, contingent on marijuana being removed from the Schedule One controlled substances list.
“I’m going to move it off Schedule One and I’m going to start collecting taxes on it. That’s going to bring in $8.5 billion dollars in revenue. I’m going to dedicate that revenue to creating wellness farms, drug rehabilitation farms, in rural areas all over this country,” he continued. […]
— Read More: townhall.com
