In recent years, the United States has increasingly grappled with an opioid epidemic of unprecedented scale, with law enforcement and other members of the first responder community left on the front lines to grapple with its devastating effects. It has ravaged communities, overwhelmed our justice system, and strained the resources of the very agencies that are responsible for keeping our communities safe and criminals off the street – and more help will be needed to ensure we can win this fight.
Last year alone, more than 110,000 Americans succumbed to overdose deaths, with the vast majority of them caused by fentanyl that was smuggled into our country from across the southern border. The drug, which is 50 times more potent than heroin, is increasingly making its way into all corners of the illicit drug supply chain from counterfeit prescription pills to marijuana and cocaine that has been laced with the deadly drug.
Interdictions of the illicit synthetic opioid by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an insightful statistic that can help illustrate the estimated flow of drugs across the border, have seen a near tenfold increase in the past five years demonstrating the concerning breadth of the issue. Law enforcement is simply outmanned, outmatched, and outgunned, and more resources will be needed to compete with these multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprises.
Fortunately, a new wave of funds is set to start flowing into communities across the country in the coming years to combat the opioid crisis. The result of a series of lawsuit settlements reached with companies that were involved in the manufacturing and distribution of prescription opioids, these resources will be pivotal in the fight against this epidemic and help end the fentanyl trafficking and overdose deaths occurring in our communities.
If properly resourced, our law enforcement community has shown that they are up to meeting the challenges of the opioid crisis, despite staring down the barrel of such adversity. Law enforcement agencies across the country have launched innovative pilot programs aimed at combating the opioid crisis. These initiatives range from educational campaigns targeting young people to creating specialized task forces focusing on opioid trafficking.
Some communities have even developed programs that link individuals who come into contact with law enforcement due to opioid misuse with healthcare services, rather than routing them through the criminal justice system. This approach not only helps in treating the root problem – addiction – but also reduces the burden on our court systems.
Unfortunately, not all states and localities have opted into these settlements. Some have decided instead to engage in lengthy and risky litigation efforts that will delay the receipt of much needed resources and could ultimately leave communities empty handed if they lose in court. Washington State and its Attorney General Bob Ferguson, for example, are the lone holdout in a high-profile $26 billion settlement that has been resolved with every other state in the country. They are following the same failed strategy of Oklahoma, which decided to litigate instead of settle, ultimately losing at the state Supreme Court and winding up with nothing.
Beyond the obvious loss of resources for local law enforcement, such decisions have a ripple effect that hinders efforts to combat the opioid crisis both locally and regionally. Regions that forgo settlement funds may lack the financial resources to implement effective strategies against opioid trafficking and addiction. This not only exacerbates the crisis in these areas but also affects neighboring areas.
For instance, a lack of interdiction efforts in one state can lead to an increased flow of illegal opioids into adjacent states. Similarly, the absence of community-based treatment and prevention programs leaves a void that can't be filled by neighboring regions.
The fact is this: the opioid epidemic does not recognize state or community boundaries. It's a pervasive issue that demands a unified response. By choosing to litigate rather than settle, these regions are not only depriving themselves of immediate resources but also weakening the national fight against opioid addiction.
Innovative policing efforts will be instrumental in addressing the root causes of the opioid crisis and in curbing the fentanyl trafficking and smuggling that is happening into and throughout the United States. It’s therefore imperative that all states and communities recognize the benefits of receiving the immediate funds necessary to launch such programs and come together in this fight. Only through a unified approach can we hope to turn the tide against the opioid epidemic.
The time for action is now – as our communities, and indeed our future, depend on it.
Last year alone, more than 110,000 Americans succumbed to overdose deaths, with the vast majority of them caused by fentanyl that was smuggled into our country from across the southern border. The drug, which is 50 times more potent than heroin, is increasingly making its way into all corners of the illicit drug supply chain from counterfeit prescription pills to marijuana and cocaine that has been laced with the deadly drug.
Interdictions of the illicit synthetic opioid by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an insightful statistic that can help illustrate the estimated flow of drugs across the border, have seen a near tenfold increase in the past five years demonstrating the concerning breadth of the issue. Law enforcement is simply outmanned, outmatched, and outgunned, and more resources will be needed to compete with these multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprises.
Fortunately, a new wave of funds is set to start flowing into communities across the country in the coming years to combat the opioid crisis. The result of a series of lawsuit settlements reached with companies that were involved in the manufacturing and distribution of prescription opioids, these resources will be pivotal in the fight against this epidemic and help end the fentanyl trafficking and overdose deaths occurring in our communities.
If properly resourced, our law enforcement community has shown that they are up to meeting the challenges of the opioid crisis, despite staring down the barrel of such adversity. Law enforcement agencies across the country have launched innovative pilot programs aimed at combating the opioid crisis. These initiatives range from educational campaigns targeting young people to creating specialized task forces focusing on opioid trafficking.
Some communities have even developed programs that link individuals who come into contact with law enforcement due to opioid misuse with healthcare services, rather than routing them through the criminal justice system. This approach not only helps in treating the root problem – addiction – but also reduces the burden on our court systems.
Unfortunately, not all states and localities have opted into these settlements. Some have decided instead to engage in lengthy and risky litigation efforts that will delay the receipt of much needed resources and could ultimately leave communities empty handed if they lose in court. Washington State and its Attorney General Bob Ferguson, for example, are the lone holdout in a high-profile $26 billion settlement that has been resolved with every other state in the country. They are following the same failed strategy of Oklahoma, which decided to litigate instead of settle, ultimately losing at the state Supreme Court and winding up with nothing.
Beyond the obvious loss of resources for local law enforcement, such decisions have a ripple effect that hinders efforts to combat the opioid crisis both locally and regionally. Regions that forgo settlement funds may lack the financial resources to implement effective strategies against opioid trafficking and addiction. This not only exacerbates the crisis in these areas but also affects neighboring areas.
For instance, a lack of interdiction efforts in one state can lead to an increased flow of illegal opioids into adjacent states. Similarly, the absence of community-based treatment and prevention programs leaves a void that can't be filled by neighboring regions.
The fact is this: the opioid epidemic does not recognize state or community boundaries. It's a pervasive issue that demands a unified response. By choosing to litigate rather than settle, these regions are not only depriving themselves of immediate resources but also weakening the national fight against opioid addiction.
Innovative policing efforts will be instrumental in addressing the root causes of the opioid crisis and in curbing the fentanyl trafficking and smuggling that is happening into and throughout the United States. It’s therefore imperative that all states and communities recognize the benefits of receiving the immediate funds necessary to launch such programs and come together in this fight. Only through a unified approach can we hope to turn the tide against the opioid epidemic.
The time for action is now – as our communities, and indeed our future, depend on it.
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Comments
2024-01-26T10:06-0600 | Comment by: Mitchel
The very problematic issue that’s been folded into this effort at combating the OPIATE (notice I didn’t use the recently coined bastardized word “opioid”) problem is the fact that as usual, Big Government has thrown the baby out with the bath water. Legitimate medical conditions that require long term OPIATE TREATMENT for Quality of Life concerns have been drastically affected and with life destroying and ending consequences. Believe it or not there are fully informed adults all across America who along with their doctors that use OPIATE medication to manage their Chronic Pain because it’s the most effective modality for them! Many of these Americans are Veterans who live amongst us and you have no clue that they take OPIATE medications daily as prescribed not to get “high” but because it mitigates their chronic pain and enables them to live productive lives. These Americans have tried every option available in the medical community to manage pain most can’t even imagine and found that OPIATE medications are the best option for them despite the stigma that it implies due to the propaganda campaign generated as a result of those who abuse those medications. There are doctors that have had there practices destroyed and even gone to jail just for prescribing OPIATE medications LEGALLY to their patients who require them. Patients have ended their own lives because their doctors have been pressured by the DEA and AMA into not prescribing their patients medications that are LEGAL and suitable for their conditions. This is unacceptable. Its also illegal as it violate HIPPA law but of course We The People are fully aware that government entities can violate any laws the see fit to as long as it suits their political interests and purposes. This overreach by government must stop and it must stop now. I’m a law abiding citizen and I support Law Enforcement and have in the past stood shoulder to shoulder with my Sheriff against criminals. I’m also a Veteran who lives with chronic pain that’s managed with OPIATE medication who doesn’t want anymore of my Brother and Sister Veterans dead due to governmental overreach and political pressure/points, especially.