If a drug test that could come back with a false positive denies you parole, would you avoid participating in a treatment program that required the drug test in the first place? Some California prison physicians say yes.
As CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich reports, about 50,000 incarcerated people in California have received medication-assisted addiction treatment since 2020. Treatment entails frequent presumptive drug testing, which is meant to monitor recovery. The drug tests should not be used punitively, according to the state’s Correctional Health Care Services’ policy — a rule that reflects standards set by the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
But the tests can also increase the chances of getting a false positive for substances other than prescribed medication. This can lead to incarcerated people being rejected for parole, and that has had the effect of discouraging some from participating in treatment, argued prison physicians in a 2025 letter to California’s parole board.
- The letter: “Urine toxicology, like many medical tests, is imperfect. … We have personally had some of our most successful, stable patients test positive for substances they did not take due to false positives.”
Phil Stamps started medication-assisted treatment in 2020 at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center to help end an opioid addiction. At his parole board review last year, commissioners cited six instances when he tested positive for methamphetamine between 2023 and 2025.
Stamps denied all of them, and said he stopped taking antidepressants and one of his inhalers to decrease the chances of a false positive. One physician also wrote in Stamps’ medical record that they were “convinced that (the) patient either had a lab mix up or a false positive.”
Regardless, Stamps was denied parole, and he said he wishes he never started treatment.
- Stamps: “The program can do a lot of good for people with substance use disorders, but because of what the parole board is doing, people are afraid to ask for help.”
What should justice look like in California today? Join us in Los Angeles or virtually on Feb. 25 for a conversation with L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, former CDCR Director Dave Lewis and Heidi Rummel of the Post-Conviction Justice Project, on prosecution, incarceration and whether reform or tougher policies will define the state’s future. Register here.
Other Stories You Should Know
See CA’s Trump lawsuits on CalMatters’ tracker
California is joining 12 Democratic-led states in suing the Trump administration over its cuts to clean energy funding. At stake is an estimated $2.7 billion in grants that were previously approved by Congress, $1.2 billion of which were earmarked for California alone.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Wednesday that nearly all of that money for California was to fund hydrogen projects, a type of potentially clean fuel that is presently costly to produce. Another $4 million terminated under President Donald Trump was set aside for the state to implement energy-efficient building standards.
This is California’s 58th lawsuit against the federal administration since Trump’s return to the White House. In half of those cases, including this latest one, Trump is unlawfully “trying to be Congress,” said Bonta during a virtual press conference. He added that the state has protected about $200 billion worth of funding that Trump has tried to claw back.
For more information on the other legal battles California is disputing with Trump, check out CalMatters’ lawsuit tracker.
Democrats get ready to descend on SF
The California Democratic Party’s state convention begins Friday in San Francisco, kicking off a three-day gathering where the roughly 3,500 expected Democratic delegates will choose who they will endorse in the June primary, write CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller and Jeanne Kuang.
The race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom will be the biggest contest, though it’s unlikely that any of the nearly 10 Democratic candidates will gain enough of a majority among the delegates to win an official endorsement. Eight of these gubernatorial hopefuls are scheduled to deliver speeches at the convention on Saturday.
The convention will also underscore a dilemma the party has been grappling with since Trump’s second term: Whether to continue backing established congressional candidates championed by party leadership, or endorse political outsiders that have strong grassroots support.
There have been signs for the desire for fresh candidates: In January, local delegates blocked five sitting Democratic House members from receiving endorsements that incumbents typically receive by default.
- Heidi Hall, a Nevada County supervisor running for Congress: “People on the ground are tired of insider politics like this. They want to be heard and they want the opportunity to choose the candidate they want.”
And lastly: San Diego teachers call off strike
San Diego teachers reached an agreement with the San Diego Union School District on Friday, avoiding what would have been their first strike in 30 years. The new labor contract aims to provide more assistance for special education teachers. Read more from CalMatters’ Deborah Brennan.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: The death of Rev. Jesse Jackson this week brings to mind an interesting interaction that I witnessed in 1979 between him and then-Gov. Jerry Brown.
CalMatters contributor Jim Newton: Nithya Raman is an intelligent and ideologically committed Los Angeles city councilmember who faces a formidable opponent in L.A. Mayor Karen Bass — but is L.A. prepared to elect a Democratic Socialist of its own?
Wealth taxes trigger capital flight, undercut economic activity and deprive governments of revenue from other taxes, writes Jared Walczak, visiting fellow with the California Tax Foundation.
Other things worth your time:
Newsom names new CPUC president, shuffles others // The Sacramento Bee
Red and blue states alike want to limit AI in insurance. Trump wants to limit the states // KFF Health News
Opponents of proposed CA wealth tax ramp up their campaign // Politico
CA Assemblymember Valencia introduces bill to focus on male youth suicide prevention // EdSource
Fresno area has a deadly history of police car chases. When is pursuit justified? // The Fresno Bee
Meta begins $65M election push to advance AI agenda // The New York Times
Tesla will stop using the term ‘autopilot’ to avoid 30-day suspension in CA // San Francisco Chronicle
LA revives zoning law that could ban some private detention centers from contracting with ICE // LAist
Women in CA prison accuse staff cook of rape and urge criminal charges // The Guardian