Substance use disorders (SUDs)have become even more prominently discussed with the opioid crisis in the United States. To tackle these conditions, it can be critical not only to understand psychiatric practices for treating SUDs but also to appreciate related laws, regulations, and legal cases that can influence how SUDs are managed and how individual legal and forensic matters are assessed.

Hence this new book, which explores the many intersections between SUDs and the law. Addiction and the Law looks at the interplay between substance use and civil issues, criminal case evaluations, and topics such as current state and federal shifts related to the treatment of opioid use disorder, cannabis legalization, and hallucinogenic substances used in therapeutic contexts. It describes the philosophical underpinnings of the legal and regulatory frameworks related to SUDs and how they have informed current trends in employment, custody, decriminalization, and treatment, to name a few.

The goal of this important book is to provide practitioners, trainees, policymakers, and others—both legal and clinical—with a better understanding of the legal and regulatory issues that may affect their work with people with SUDs—both to inform forensic opinions and to assist in effective care.