Abstract
There have been conflicting responses from state and federal governments in the USA concerning the penalization of substance use. Some substance users, such as users of crack cocaine, have been harshly criminalized for drug possession in comparison to users of powder cocaine, despite both substances being different forms of the same drug. Furthermore, the government has responded to the contemporary opioid crisis by framing it as a national public health crisis and promoting rehabilitative treatment. The observed disparities concerning the response to substance use in the USA prompts the examination of mass incarceration and subsequent felony disenfranchisement of substance users, which has systematically resulted in social inequalities involving the revocation of voting rights and restrictive criminal records that result in discriminatory and stigmatizing perceptions concerning employment, housing, and education. A brief model for restorative justice is provided inclusive of strategies that social workers can employ to engage in social policy advocacy that supports the reestablishment of voting rights for criminalized substance users.