‘12-step’ abstinence programs could do more harm than good for workers struggling with addictions, drug policy experts say
Workers in BC are being funneled into primarily private, abstinence based 12-step recovery programs in order to receive disability benefits, newly obtained documents show.
Information from a Freedom of Information Request obtained by the Workers for Ethical Substance Use Policy shows that The Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia, which operates as WorkSafe BC, has a number of contracts with private, for profit recovery programs for workers.
In some cases, workers are required to undergo the recommended course of treatment with the companies contracted by WCB in order to receive worker’s compensation.
“The current regime of accommodation for employers in returning employees to work involves participation in one of these treatment facilities, usually at the expense of the employee, and up to five years of monitoring,” Shane Calder, Program Coordinator with the The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition told PressProgress. [...]
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