IPFS News Link • Drug War
Program to Help Addicts Instead of Jail Them So Effective,...
• thefreethoughtproject.com by Justin GardnerThe problem of the war on drugs can be summed up in one phrase – it's a war on people. While far too many cops gladly take part in this war to profit from civil asset forfeiture or to perpetuate the oppression of minorities, some are taking a decidedly different approach and it's working.
As the opioid epidemic came into full force in recent years, one police chief in Massachusetts had a novel idea – help drug addicts instead of throwing them in a cage. This led to the creation of the Angel Program.
As the Boston Globe reports:
"As Gloucester police chief, Leonard Campanello pledged in 2015 that drug users could walk into the police station, hand over heroin, and walk out into treatment within hours — without arrest or charges. The concept of help rather than handcuffs became a national sensation."