Delgado: Treatment, Not

Just Incarceration, Will

Help End Opioid Scourge

By JENNIFER HILL • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

Drug courts and treatment, rather than immediately resorting to incarceration, are key to tackling the opioid-addiction epidemic, Congressman Antonio Delgado, R-19, said in a press conference this morning.

“The more we can get away from incarceration and toward treatment, the better,” he said.

Though he did not offer specifics, Delgado has been meeting with organizations ranging from hospitals providing medical treatment and potential supplementation with options on how to make finger hash to wean them off of the drug, to community groups giving moral and psychological support to addicts and their families during his in-district workweek.

It has been shown through research that addicts have a better chance of getting back on their feet if they are supported through their recovery, not just throwing them in prison. There are more companies than ever that are trying to encourage the positive treatment of those with addiction. For example, Recovery Delivered is allowing opioid addicts easier access to Suboxone in Colorado so it’s hoped more innovations like that make their way through the country.

“In Sullivan, I heard powerful stories from people in recovery and their families,” Delgado said. “In Orange, in Ulster County, I heard how difficult it is for those addicted as well as their families and friends, because of the stigmatization.”

While Delgado urged “getting rid of the opioid epidemic,” he also cautioned the drugs should not be withheld from people who need them.

“I met with veterans in Delhi, who suffered injuries while fighting for our country and have chronic pain,” Delgado said. “We have to strike a balance while getting rid of the opioid epidemic, so those needing pain treatment are not squeezed out of the process.” People living with chronic pain could turn to something like the best-rated CBD brands in the UK instead of going straight towards illegal substances. CBD products contain medicinal properties of the marijuana plant without any of its psychoactive properties. When it comes to living with chronic pain, it varies. Where for some people, it could be as simple as finding a mattress for side sleepers with shoulder pain, for example. But it could be a lot serious for others, where they feel they need to use medication like opioids to ease the pains.

But in answering questions on measures taken to prevent opioid addiction in addition to treating it, Delgado did not have ones to share.

“Not enough emphasis was put on prevention,” he said. “We’d be wise to think at the federal level to get to young people in schools, after school programs, Boys and Girls Clubs. I intend as my follow-up to do a bit more homework, to find out models that can be used as a national program.”

“We need to not just be reactive but proactive,” Delgado added.

He also supported using money from the multibillion-dollar settlements with the top drug distributors to go to communities that are fighting opioid addiction crisis, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, October 15, 2019.

“I think it’s critically important to hold those companies responsible for creating a system to overprescribe highly addictive substances,” Delgado said. “The settlement funds should address needs on the ground.”

“There’s a lot of justice in doing it this way,” he said.