skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Advocates Oppose "Get Tough" Approach to Opioid Epidemic

play audio
Play

Tuesday, March 20, 2018   

CONCORD, N.H. – President Donald Trump is calling for tough law-enforcement measures to fight the opioid epidemic – measures drug policy reform advocates say simply don't work.

Speaking at Manchester Community College in New Hampshire on Monday, Trump called for the death penalty for major traffickers and increasing mandatory minimum sentences as key to stopping the growing tide of opioid-overdose deaths.

But, according to Grant Smith, deputy director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, decades of experience with "get tough on drugs" policies show they have little to no beneficial effect.

"You look at communities where law enforcement are really heavily engaged in the war on drugs and you don't see an end to drug selling, you don't see an end to drug use, you actually see higher concentrations of both of those activities in the same communities," he explains.

The president also has called for $3 billion this year and $10 billion next year to expand access to prevention, treatment and recovery support programs.

Smith contends that while treatment is effective at reducing drug use and overdose deaths, those efforts could be overshadowed by the emphasis on treating addiction as a criminal problem.

"People who are facing an overdose situation are less likely to call for help if the police arrive," he warns. "They're less likely to get health care or treatment if they think law enforcement will intervene."

The president also re-emphasized his call for a wall on the country's border with Mexico as a way to stop drugs from entering the country.

The Drug Policy Alliance recently issued a report outlining more than twenty policy proposals Smith says would increase access to treatment, expand harm-reduction services and reduce the role of criminalization and incarceration.

"The recommendations range from expanding access to evidence-based medication-assisted treatment to making syringe exchange more available to creating safe consumption spaces," adds Smith.

He points out that harsh drug laws have proved ineffective at reducing drug use while having devastating effects on people of color and marginalized communities.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021