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This is Lindsay Smith Rogers.

There are legal protections in place for people who use drugs to ensure they get the health

care they need, but many still face discrimination and stigma.

Today, I speak with Rebecca Job, senior staff attorney at the Legal Action Center, about

her work around litigation and advocacy efforts to combat substance use disorder-based

discrimination, and the details of a major

lawsuit LAC has brought against a hospital system.

Let's listen.

Rebecca Job, thank you so much for joining us.

Tell us about the Legal Action Center and the kind of work that you do there.

Thanks for having me.

The Legal Action Center is a law and policy organization that represents and advocates for people who use drugs or have substance use disorders,

people living with HIV, as well as people with arrest and conviction records.

I work on our legal team where we provide free legal services

in New York for our constituents. And I focus really just on one part of LAC's work, and that is our

efforts to stop discrimination against people who use drugs. Several years, even decades,

LAC has been working to build health equity

and address the overdose crisis and inequities for people with substance use disorders

...