The American Medical Association recognizes Drug Courts!

Excerpt supporting Drug Courts from the AMA:
View full article here.

Drug Courts as Incarceration Alternative for Nonviolent Criminals

New AMA policy encourages the establishment of drug courts at the state and local level as an alternative to incarceration and a means of overcoming addiction for individuals with addictive disease convicted of nonviolent crimes. According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, drug courts are an alternative to individuals with addictive disease, providing them with intensive treatment and regular drug testing. A 2009 study of the National Institute of Justice found that drug court participants had significantly fewer positive drug tests and reported better improvements in their family relationships.

"Individuals with addictive disease require treatment," said Dr. Hoven. "When an individual is convicted of a nonviolent crime, drug courts can provide the medical attention, support and accountability needed to help them conquer their addiction and turn their lives around."

Dispensing Medically Appropriate Quantities of Formulary Medications: Pharmacy benefit managers and insurers institute prescription drug quantity limits that dictate the number of dosage units of a particular drug that will be covered by the plan for a specific period of time. The AMA voted today to work with third party payers to create an exceptions process to ensure that patients can access higher or lower quantities of medically necessary drugs or testing and treatment supplies.

"It is imperative that medication quantity limits do not prevent a patient from getting the medication they need when they need it," said AMA Board Member Carl A. Sirio, M.D. "In patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, for example, physicians need the flexibility to prescribe different medications in different doses and combinations to meet the unique needs of each individual patient. To avoid the dire consequences that can result if patients are not able to immediately and easily access medically required drugs, an exceptions process must be created to ensure that patients can get the medications their physician prescribes."