During the meeting for the Committee on Prevention of Substance Abuse, the committee heard a presentation from the Office of Drug Control.
Naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, distribution has increased. It’s available in various agencies and organizations across the state. The Office of Drug Policy organizes “Safe A Life Day,” where the state is saturated with Naloxone in a day. Last year, the Office recruited 13 states to take part in the day and over 45,000 doses were distributed in these states in one day. Naloxone is available in schools, as there have been increases in overdoses for individuals under 19.
In 2019, over 1,000 individuals were diverted from jails and into treatment facilities. In 2020, a program with the State Police allows individuals to surrender drug paraphernalia and get fast-tracked into treatment.
Another program, Police and Peers provides workload sharing between police and peer recovery support specialists of nonviolent substance abuse cases.
Quick Response teams are working with EMS to respond to overdoses efficiently.
Family Treatment Courts keep families intact. The state has 13 Family Treatment Courts with 153 graduates and positively impacted more than 194 children.
The Committee also advanced House Bill 4429. House Bill 4429 exempts test strips as drug paraphernalia.
