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.