A Law is in Place to Expand Help for Substance Abusers

{President Obama Visited Integrity House One Year Ago Today.

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By David H. Kerr                  

“Governor Chris Christie has signed legislation into law that will expand drug addiction treatment programs throughout the state.

The bill, A-3744/S-2330, provides for the establishment of law enforcement-assisted addiction and recovery programs in law enforcement departments throughout the state.”

http://patch.com/new-jersey/tomsriver/gov-christie-signs-drug-treatment-expansion-law

This legislation appears to have excellent potential and maybe long overdue.  There's no "middle man" required as I read this proposal.  Police can take direct action and help can be immediately available.  No extensive calling around for a bed or getting in line with a two month waiting list in order to get help.  Naturally I would expect that if police found a street addict needing help, any other connected legal jurisdiction such as probation, parole or drug court would be notified as to what would be done for the addict, beginning at that time.  Instead of waiting in jail for a treatment bed to become available, help can start immediately and when a bed does become available, the referral can be made.  While it is an expedient solution, it is far better than incarceration with no help.

Why for many, law enforcement should be the first step to help, followed by Sister Mary L., Father Pete and I.

I have met many savvy and understanding law enforcement officers in my 50+ years of work with addicts beginning in 1965 as a state parole officer in Newark.  For the most part, those with whom I have worked have had a positive influence on the law breaking addicts they had found on the streets.  In the 60’s we developed first name communication where help for an addict was just a phone call away.  Unfortunately, there were only a handful of residential treatment programs or referral sources in the mid to late 60’s but the Mt. Carmel Guild, Sister Mary L., Father Pete, and I were in daily contact with addicts coming to us for help.  We often sent them to a farm type facility in Garrison NY for detox and treatment.  The three of us did the critical follow up and support when they returned.  The police, prosecutor and probation departments were all part of our team as well.  Through our continued close communications we became an effective team, caring enough about our recovering addict referrals to know their names and even some of their family members.

With this new law, police will be allowed and encouraged to take addicts right from the "streets," offer them help and advice and see that they enter treatment.  Police officers now have little option but to place an addict in jail for crimes related to the disease of addiction while awaiting an open treatment bed.  Adding police to the network of addiction help is not a new concept and in fact, it has been practiced informally for decades.  With this new law however, the essential but informal liaison between police and the treatment networks can be formalized offering more opportunity for help for those on long waiting lists.  Linking law enforcement with treatment programs is also not new, but giving front line police officers a more direct connection with treatment is an idea that can now become a reality.

The consequences of this law working effectively could ultimately place an even greater demand on drug treatment and our Governor and legislators must prepare for this reality now.  Here is a summary of the proposed legislation:

“This new law allows police officers —often the first people to discover nonviolent drug offenders in their worst state — to become a point of access for help and recovery," Christie said. "This law improves upon access and assistance for those suffering from addiction, helping them to obtain treatment and re-enter society as productive members.”

The law also provides for:

·    Supporting and facilitating the linkage of law enforcement-assisted addiction and recovery programs to facilities and programs that provide appropriate substance abuse recovery services and health care services

·    Coordinating with law enforcement officials and program volunteers to ensure that individuals seeking to participate in the program are treated with respect, care and compassion, and are reassured that assistance will be provided

·    Establishing requirements for an individual to be eligible for participation in the program, and develop and implement procedures for determining eligibility requirements for the program.

The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Richard J. Codey and Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee chairman Joseph F. Vitale.

Law enforcement will also help a treatment completer to maintain contacts with his/her treatment coach and mentor for the essential five years after treatment completion.

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Governor Christie Signs Legislation Strengthening State’s Fight Against Addiction

For Immediate Release                        Contact:  Brian Murray

Wednesday, October 26, 2016                        609-777-2600

Trenton, NJ – Governor Chris Christie today signed legislation to enhance and expand addiction treatment opportunities and improve relationships between law enforcement officers and those suffering from addiction.

“All too often people afflicted with the disease of addiction have negative, counterproductive and repeated interactions with the criminal justice system,” Governor Christie said. “This new law allows police officers —often the first people to discover nonviolent drug offenders in their worst state — to become a point of access for help and recovery. This law improves upon access and assistance for those suffering from addiction, helping them to obtain treatment and re-enter society as productive members.”

Drug overdose death rates in New Jersey have been reported this year as multiple times higher than increasing national rates.

A-3744/S-2330 (McKeon, Vainieri Huttle, Caputo, Jasey, Downey/Codey, Vitale), with the governor’s recommendations from an August conditional veto, provides for the establishment of these law enforcement-assisted addiction and recovery programs in law enforcement departments throughout the State. Under this new law, the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in consultation with the Attorney General, will prescribe by regulation requirements for county and municipal law enforcement departments to establish a program within their departments; develop and implement guidelines for the recruitment and training of law enforcement officers, volunteers, and treatment providers to participate in the program; support and facilitate the linkage of law enforcement assisted addiction and recovery programs to facilities and programs that provide appropriate substance abuse recovery services and health care services; coordinate with law enforcement officials and program volunteers to ensure that individuals seeking to participate in the program are treated with respect, care, and compassion, and are reassured that assistance will be provided; establish requirements for an individual to be eligible for participation in the program; and develop and implement procedures for determining eligibility requirements for the program.

This reform is the latest lifesaving action taken by Governor Christie’s administration, to go along with drug court expansion; statewide Narcan and recovery coach program implementation; new legal protections for those helping drug overdose victims; criminal justice reform to put nonviolent offenders on a path to recovery and productivity; the conversion of a correctional facility into a drug treatment center for inmates with addictions; and increased participation in the multistate Prescription Monitoring Program to prevent doctor shopping.

As Obama Administration comes to a close, racism takes center stage in politics

President and Mrs. Obama with their children

As President Barack Obama nears the end of his second term, and the end of his presidential administration, it marks a historic period.

It is clear to me, as an American, that he saved our republic at a time when it was in dire situations, on many fronts, when he entered office.

For a core of white Americans, there were two primary problems with President Obama that would never get solved: the first, he was black and was not acting as anyone else's agent in serving in this nation's highest executive office; and second, he would not back down in the face of sheer bigotry.

There are legions of people who will tell a neutral party that they hate the president because of his policies or due to his general world view as a more liberal president than a Republican might be. Yet, such arguments would simply be a lie.

An early GOP bumper sticker

In America, I was never taught that a president, or any office holder for that matter, should be white or a man. I suppose I naively thought that wasn't an issue. But, I was wrong where it involves some whites who have not quite gotten over the fact that the Civil War is over (and has been for about 150 years) and Blacks are no longer second-class citizens, at least in theory. I say 'in theory' because there is a sentiment, I believe stirred by the very rich in this nation, that Blacks in offices of high responsibility should not happen and, now that it has, should never happen again. Reasonable people, born and raised in this era, do not believe such things. Yet, the rich target the ignorant, racist whites, largely damaged people looking to place blame on someone for something in their lives and they have found a way, via FOX News, to stir that pot to the point of near armed insurrection in this nation.

Indeed, these racists, whom identify themselves as "Republicans," "Conservatives" or "Tea Party Patriots" are neither Republican, nor Conservative in any sane way and they certainly are not patriots of any kind. They are simply racists. Try as they might to sound reasonable, they cannot because at the root of all of their arguments is always a grain of evil that cannot be undone by verbal diversion.

If America can be undone because of racist determination, then this is not the America I learned about as a boy, or the America whose uniform I served in my youth. I always believed America was grander than hate, bigger than the small minds of evil people and defiant in its acceptance to those from any background. I understood that if anyone came to these shores wanting to make a better life for themselves and their family then that was all that was required for citizenship. In some ways, I am sad to say I was wrong because obviously I didn't know that so many hateful people, who unhappily share my race, are so enamored of themselves they believe others who are not white to be inferior in some way. This is a revolting philosophy in every way, and another tragedy is that this nonsense occurs in our world's 21st century. In some ways our nation has come very far in its commerce and technology and, in other ways, it is no better than 150 years ago when it comes to attitudes.

And, he says this with a straight face

All of this hate is focused simply on skin pigmentation, which is the most superficial thing included on people, by design. The belief that one race, regardless of which one it is, has some innate quality over any other is preposterous by any definition.

There are good men and bad men, good women and bad women. But, there is no race of evil people put here on earth by God. Mankind was given free choice to make this world a garden or a new hell. The choice was and is ours, so there is no one to blame if it becomes some tortured plain hallmarked by the perceived differences of humanity by the unbalanced among our population.

President Obama has braved a perilous journey in office, and it has made something very clear to me: Those who are sane will never be convinced of racism by those who are unbalanced and evil. I believe there is no such thing as Republican and Democrats anymore, there are simply people who strive for good and those who strive for evil. There can be no good done by those who seek to punish the poor, fight wars of indulgence, focus national effort into keeping the riches 1 percent as rich as they can be, while at the same time advocating for the dissolution of Social Security, the working man and woman's only friend in retirement.

Propaganda from so-called "patriots"

So-called American elected officials in the United States Congress and Senate have actively planned to usurp President Obama, at the cost of outright treason in conspiring with a foreign country, namely Israel. And, the world has watched as this nation has gone through its racist fits at home. The most progressive nation in the world, which is what the U.S. used to be known as, is no better than a howling kindergarten class thanks to the self-ascribed "patriots" who weaken our country every single day.

If I had a wish, it would be for these so-called "patriots" to leave the U.S. and make their own dictatorial, repressive state somewhere far away -- where everyone would wear a gun, no minorities could vote, the poor would live in gutters and in the woods, while the rich build themselves luxury towers and housing. But, it will not happen. So, it is up to common people, armed with sense and humanity, to make the firm decision to vote against this outbreak of evil in the ways that are at our disposal -- in ballot boxes throughout this country.

So-called American lawmakers have resorted to treason

Make no doubt about it, I am not saying that the Democratic Party or its legion of professionals, candidates or office holders are the ultimate answer to the safety of this nation. I am saying, though, that in this difficult time, the Democratic Party is the last vessel of safety in a sea swarming with parasites, predators and vermin of every make and model. Democrats are people, and fallible as any, but they do not represent a clear and present danger to the welfare of the American people as these modern "patriots" who are out there.

Yet, there is a difference between handing over our country to a bunch of Democratic politicians over handing it over to those with demonic, unwholesome goals and plans that would cripple our nation, perhaps permanently.

I do wish that as many people as can vote against the craziness of our age and instead vote for flawed, but local and human, successors to our last president. Asylums run so badly when the inmates are running the place.