This study contributes to the literature on carceral treatment, detailing the lived experience of people who co-use opioids and methamphetamine with treatment access and legal system involvement as the two become more tightly linked. Mandated treatment often replicates carceral control and fails to accommodate the realities of polysubstance use. People who co-use developed adaptive strategies to navigate these systems, reflecting the need for treatment models that respect autonomy and reduce harm rather than criminalize. Our findings thus support the need for policies that provide consistent access to care and disentangle treatment from coercive legal oversight.
Iacobelli et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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