California’s Parole Board Undermines Life-Saving Addiction Treatment with Flawed Drug Test Policies

California's prison system has made remarkable strides by introducing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to combat a deadly surge in overdoses, yet this progress risks unraveling due to the parole board's reckless use of flawed drug test results. Despite warnings from over a dozen prison doctors and defense attorneys about the high possibility of false positives, the parole board continues to weaponize these unreliable tests as a key factor in denying parole—forcing incarcerated Americans to choose between life-saving treatment and their liberty. How Can Life-Saving Treatment Be Punished Instead of Protected? The America First principle of safeguarding individual freedom demands that rehabilitation...