David E. Smith, MD, DFASAM, FISAM, FAACT
September 13, 2024
11:00 am – 1:00 pm PST

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the early days of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic during the Summer of Love in 1967 when addiction was a crime and physicians treating addiction using similar detoxification techniques as the clinic were arrested in parts of California.
• Outline the key drugs of abuse and the progression of drug culture in 1967 from experimentation with marijuana and psychedelics to the harder, more addictive drugs of amphetamines and heroin, including today’s fentanyl class.
• Outline key factors in the evolution of the term “Addiction Medicine” and the attempt to medicalize treatment of substance use disorders.
• Describe the formation of the CSAM and the motivation for specialization.
• Outline the factors and conflicts with compromised the development of ASAM as a national specialty society for the treatment of substance use disorders.
• Define the barriers in mainstreaming addiction medicine into the medical system despite the continuing and growing abuse problem in the US.

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About the Speaker

Dr. Smith founded the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics in 1967, during the Summer of Love, inaugurating the principle of “Health Care is a Right, not a Privilege.” He is Chair, Addiction Medicine & MQAC, for Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services in Petaluma, California, a residential treatment center for teens with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders, the Medical Director for Avery Lane Healing Center for Women, as well as the Medical Director of Center Point, in San Rafael, California, a therapeutic community focused on those coming out of the criminal justice system. Dr. Smith is a Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine, a past President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the California Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM). He is the Founding Editor of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs and co-author of “Unchain Your Brain: 10 Steps to Breaking the Addictions that Steal Your Life.” He is currently working on his memoir, covering his early years, through the Summer of Love, and up to today.

Joint Accreditation Statement: In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Amedco LLC and Galen Mental Health. Amedco LLC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. Amedco Joint Accreditation #4008163.