Delaware News

Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Addressing Drug Addiction Through Support, Treatment

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Date Posted: Friday, October 3, 2014




Drug addiction is a public health epidemic in our country. And it demands an aggressive response in Delaware. From January through August of this year, 132 people died from suspected overdoses. That’s about 30 more than the number who lose their lives in car accidents in a full year. Since the state tightened controls on prescription painkillers, the number of Delawareans receiving treatment for heroine has risen dramatically. By offering support and access to the right treatments, we can help Delawareans overcome these addictions, while preventing our youth from using addictive substances in the first place. Working with the legislature and community advocates, we passed the 9-1-1 Good Samaritan Law, so people won’t fear being arrested for low-level drug crimes if they call 9-1-1 to report an overdose. We’re also allowing law enforcement and other trained individuals to carry and administer the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. Later this fall we will launch an information website that emphasizes prevention, treatment, and recovery. A public awareness campaign will support this effort so we can direct users, family, friends, students, and others to the best resources. We have a lot more to do. My administration is working with legislators, health providers, community advocates and others to increase space available in our treatment facilities, ensure services focus on individual needs, and implement a newly designed withdrawal management program. And that group’s efforts will continue. By treating addiction as the disease that it is, rather than just as a crime to be punished, we will save lives and we’ll put more people on the road to a recovery that allows them to contribute their talents to our state. That will keep Delaware moving forward.

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Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Addressing Drug Addiction Through Support, Treatment

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Date Posted: Friday, October 3, 2014




Drug addiction is a public health epidemic in our country. And it demands an aggressive response in Delaware. From January through August of this year, 132 people died from suspected overdoses. That’s about 30 more than the number who lose their lives in car accidents in a full year. Since the state tightened controls on prescription painkillers, the number of Delawareans receiving treatment for heroine has risen dramatically. By offering support and access to the right treatments, we can help Delawareans overcome these addictions, while preventing our youth from using addictive substances in the first place. Working with the legislature and community advocates, we passed the 9-1-1 Good Samaritan Law, so people won’t fear being arrested for low-level drug crimes if they call 9-1-1 to report an overdose. We’re also allowing law enforcement and other trained individuals to carry and administer the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. Later this fall we will launch an information website that emphasizes prevention, treatment, and recovery. A public awareness campaign will support this effort so we can direct users, family, friends, students, and others to the best resources. We have a lot more to do. My administration is working with legislators, health providers, community advocates and others to increase space available in our treatment facilities, ensure services focus on individual needs, and implement a newly designed withdrawal management program. And that group’s efforts will continue. By treating addiction as the disease that it is, rather than just as a crime to be punished, we will save lives and we’ll put more people on the road to a recovery that allows them to contribute their talents to our state. That will keep Delaware moving forward.

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.