244. Linda Davis | Hope vs Handcuffs

Hope vs Handcuff is what Judge Linda Davis recommends for people with a substance use disorder.

Judge Linda Davis was appointed to the bench on March 27, 2000, by Michigan Governor John Engler. Prior to her judgeship, she spent 13 years as an Assistant Prosecutor with the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. Davis played a crucial role in the creation of Face Addiction Now, formerly Families Against Narcotics and has been instrumental in the success and growth of the organization. She has received several prestigious awards from organizations such as the FBI, Care House, and the Girl Scouts of America. Among the awards she has been given are the Macomb Community College Outstanding Alumna Award; the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals President’s Award; the Macomb Bar Distinguished Public Service Award; and the Macomb County Humanitarian of the Year Award. She has also been named the Henry Ford Hospital Woman of Excellence and Influence and the 2019 Community Star for the state of Michigan in conjunction with National Rural Health Day.

Judge Davis served on Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s Opiate Task Force and later was appointed to chair the Governor’s Commission for the Prescription Overdose and Opiate Response Team. In addition, she was invited to consult with President Donald J. Trump’s Opiate Task Force and First Lady Melania Trump’s roundtable discussion on how the opioid epidemic is affecting families. Davis’ expertise was also called on by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, resulting in a spot on the state’s Opioid Task Force Advisory Board. Davis is currently FAN’s Executive Director and primary speaker and presents multiple times a week to groups—both statewide and nationally—on the opioid crisis and the stigma associated with addiction. A frequent plenary speaker at conferences, she works tirelessly to educate doctors, nurses, dentists, law enforcement, lawyers, and legislators about substance use disorder.

Davis’ recent presentations include those made to Impact100; the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals Conference; the Michigan Rural Health Conference; the Michigan Department of Corrections; the Opioid and Substance Use Disorder Virtual Summit; the Police Treatment and Community Collaborative’s Pre-Arrest Diversion Summit (Chicago); the CDC/HIDTA Overdose Response Strategy Conference (Salt Lake City); and the Southern Nevada Substance Misuse and Overdose Prevention Summit (Las Vegas), Keynote speaker for National Rural Health conference (Washington D.C.  Presently working on an initiative to take FAN’s programming to rural areas of Michigan, Davis was recently appointed as a voting member of the new Opioid Advisory Commission in Michigan, which will determine how funds from the National Opioid Settlement will be spent in the state.

Disclaimer:  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the United States Government or any of its agencies. The content was recorded prior to the speaker's current federal service and is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only.  No agency endorsement or approval should be inferred.