Drug addiction treatment in the US: unregulated, expensive, no guarantees

Federal agents raided four addiction treatment centers in Southern California this week: three in LA and one in Orange County. This is just one in a series of criminal probes into California’s extensive addiction treatment industry over the past several years.

Addiction treatment in the US is notoriously opaque. It’s largely unregulated, crushingly expensive, and most facilities don’t offer evidence their programs even work.

So what actually helps people struggling with addiction? How can they (and their families) access effective care? Nearly 2 million Americans addicted to opioids.

VOX has launched an investigation into what they’re calling The Rehab Racket: Investigating the high cost of addiction care.