What’s an adult? Well, it’s a mature, fully grown, and responsible figure who makes decisions for its dependents. But, as is put forth in this article, adults still have their own ‘adults’ in the form of our employers and nation-states. What if we could choose our own adults? One idea is that we could choose for-profit organisations as our ‘adults’ using a voucher system. The voucher system pairs a person with an organisation and lets organisations regulate a person’s behaviour; if you do something wrong, the organisation can bail you out, but you’d have to answer to them. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
