Post by Logan on Feb 18, 2016 23:47:24 GMT -6
Police urge Maine lawmakers to help put drug users in treatment, not jail
AUGUSTA — Mayors and police chiefs from across Maine urged lawmakers Thursday to help break the cycle of drug addiction and incarceration by funding a program to allow police to “divert” drug users away from the jails and toward treatment.
“We need to make a change in this state,” said Brewer Police Chief Perry Antone Sr. “If not, we need to be prepared to read obituaries.”
Lawmakers are considering a proposal that would create what is known as a “law enforcement assisted diversion,” or LEAD, program that aims to place low-level drug offenders in drug treatment and support programs rather than lock them up in a jail cell. The legislation, which was requested by mayors who are part of the Mayors’ Coalition on Jobs and Economic Development, seeks $2 million for eight pilot projects in communities around the state.
The proposal comes at a time when Maine and states across the country are struggling to respond to record numbers of heroin and opiate overdoses or deaths.
Read more: www.pressherald.com/2016/02/18/maine-lawmakers-urged-to-divert-drug-users-away-from-jails/
AUGUSTA — Mayors and police chiefs from across Maine urged lawmakers Thursday to help break the cycle of drug addiction and incarceration by funding a program to allow police to “divert” drug users away from the jails and toward treatment.
“We need to make a change in this state,” said Brewer Police Chief Perry Antone Sr. “If not, we need to be prepared to read obituaries.”
Lawmakers are considering a proposal that would create what is known as a “law enforcement assisted diversion,” or LEAD, program that aims to place low-level drug offenders in drug treatment and support programs rather than lock them up in a jail cell. The legislation, which was requested by mayors who are part of the Mayors’ Coalition on Jobs and Economic Development, seeks $2 million for eight pilot projects in communities around the state.
The proposal comes at a time when Maine and states across the country are struggling to respond to record numbers of heroin and opiate overdoses or deaths.
Read more: www.pressherald.com/2016/02/18/maine-lawmakers-urged-to-divert-drug-users-away-from-jails/