Growing opiate addiction in NY troubles lawmakers

[hrmjustin]

By Matthew McKibben


Brooklyn Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz says the state is "ill-equipped" to properly address the opiate addiction crisis in New York. This legislative session, Cymbrowitz, chair of the Assembly Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, is asking for increased funding to the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services and is looking to pass two bills that would help opiate addicts treat their addiction.

The Assembly Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse is asking for $5 million to expand the access and capacity for treatment of opiates, $5 million to expand school-based prevention programs and another $5 million to expand the community-based detoxification services. Cymbrowitz says the budget for OASAS has remained "flat" for several years, and the 2014–2015 Executive Budget includes no funding directly related to combating opiate abuse.

In an attempt to allow local governments to better serve the needs of opiate addicts, Cymbrowitz has introduced legislation (A.8591) that, if passed into law, would establish the Community Chemical Dependency Services Expansion Program. The program would provide funding for local governments to take advantage of new and expanded chemical dependency services. The same-as bill in the Senate (S.2558–a) is sponsored by another Brooklyn legislator, Republican Sen. Martin Golden.

"Without treatment readily available, the public health costs will be severe for New York state – and the human toll even more so," Cymbrowitz said.

http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2014-03-03-87020.113122-Growing-opiate-addiction-in-NY-troubles-lawmakers.html

[Warpy]

1. The country sucks for working people and they want to numb out

and those lawmakers would rather punish them than take on the root causes of why this country sucks for working people.

If they don't want violent revolution, you'd think they'd be eager to end the drug war and let us all narcotize ourselves into total apathy.

[hrmjustin]

2. Prisons are money makers.

[glinda]

3. Bingo. I agree with that being the first cause along with the

fact that the whole approach to lack of educating people that use drugs that the money is going to places that they ethically probably wouldn't want to fund as well as users being "targeted" as suckers. If a dealer knows they have a money source then they are just using vulnerable people.
Sometimes I think a public campaign of educating folks about what their drug purchase/habit funds would be a better approach.
That and the Government taking responsibility for destroying people's lives....

[Warpy]

4. People who are being beaten down at work

making tons of money for a bunch of corporate weasels aren't going to be too much concerned with the drug cartel weasel they're also supporting. Being robbed by people they despise is just the way things are.