A spoon containing baking soda, cocaine, and a small amount of water. Used in a “poor-man’s” crack-cocaine production. (Photo/Korwin via Wikimedia Commons)
The number of people in prison for drug offenses is staggering. Regardless of the substance, incarceration almost never seems to help anyone kick a drug habit.
Between 2001 and 2013, more than half of prisoners serving sentences of more than a year in federal facilities were convicted of drug offenses. On September 30, 2013, 98,200 inmates – a full 51% of the federal prison population – were imprisoned for possession, trafficking, or other drug crimes.
Now, the police chief in Gloucester, Massachusetts, has decided that instead of wasting tax payer dollars locking up people who need help, he will actually try to get them that help.
Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello said that his department is no longer going to arrest people for carrying any form of illegal narcotics if they are looking for help.
Instead, Campanello said that his officers have been instructed to help place addicts with agencies and specialists who can help them detox and recover from drug abuse. Campanello said the following:
“I’ve never arrested a tobacco addict, nor have I ever seen one turned down for help when they develop lung cancer, whether or not they have insurance. The reasons for the difference in care between a tobacco addict and an opiate addict is stigma and money. Petty reasons to lose a life.”
On the Gloucester Police Department Facebook page, the chief urged members of the community to “PLEASE READ THIS POST”, saying that: “On Saturday, May 2, the City held a forum regarding the opiate crisis, and on how Gloucester has…”
The chief says that he will soon make a trip to Washington, D.C., urging lawmakers to enact “sensible” drug laws that help addicts rather than lock them up.