OSI Treatment Initiative

Good news. George Soros, who has previously made large investments in harm reduction programs, has started a new treatment initiative.

Critics have often branded Soros and OSI as supporters of drug legalization based on their past funding support for groups like the Drug Policy Foundation. Capoccia -- who formerly led the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's addiction treatment and prevention program area -- said it would be a mistake to associate the Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap program with drug-legalization groups. On the other hand, he noted, "Harm-reduction has always been a part of the continuum of care."

Asked if Closing the Treatment Gap constituted an effort by Soros and OSI to tackle addiction issues in a more "mainstream" fashion, Capoccia replied, "This is not a departure at all from the investments OSI and Soros have made, but rather an extension," adding: "It's mainstream on the one hand but radical on the other -- that everyone who needs treatment should have it. We've accepted things like waiting lists ... the radical dimension is that we should be accepting that."

RWJF's 2006 decision to end its addiction-related program area has left a substantial funding gap in the treatment and prevention community, but Capoccia said that OSI's intention is not to fill RWJF's shoes. "This is not a definition of new priorities for OSI," he stated. "This is more likely to be a focused effort."