‘To Protect and To Serve’ — A Police Chief Treats Drug Addiction DifferentlyAddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthJanuary 11, 2016Police officers promise “to protect and to serve.” But how can they do either when the people they vow to serve engage in actions that endanger themselves, their communities, and their families?
For Uber Drivers and the Rest of Us, Following the Alcohol PaysAddiction, AlcoholismBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 29, 2015There’s a phrase that drivers from Uber, Lyft and other rideshare businesses use when talking of ways to maximize their earning potential: follow the alcohol.
5 Things You Should Know If Your Vacation Plans Include MarijuanaAddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 17, 2015If your holiday plans take you to the parts of the country where recreational marijuana use is now legal — Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska or Washington, D.C. — you may be tempted to join the party.
How Will the Next President Tackle Our Drug Problems?AddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthOctober 9, 2015What are the presidential candidates revealing about how they’ll handle our nation’s drug policy issues? It’s a crucial question.
These Massachusetts Police Will Not Charge Addicts Seeking HelpAddiction, Addiction RecoveryBy Promises Behavioral HealthSeptember 17, 2015Gloucester Police Chief Lenny Campanello recently announced that any addict surrendering drugs and paraphernalia to a police officer and requesting help would not be charged with a drug crime. The move is controversial and provocative and, the chief hopes, will start a conversation about drug addiction as a disease and the need for treatment. He…
U.S. Government Stops Seizing Assets From Drug DealersAddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthAugust 29, 2015 A legal tool meant to take wealth and assets from suspected drug dealers has been halted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after years in which millions in valuables were seized from people never charged with a crime.
Illinois May Soon Put Overdose Antidote in Hands of School NursesAddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthAugust 18, 2015Illinois lawmakers are working on a bill that would let school nurses give students overdosing on opioid prescriptions or heroin the drug that could save their lives. Naloxone (brand name Narcan) is known as the overdose antidote because it can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and prevent fatalities. This drug is most often…
Federal Law Proposed to Protect Good Samaritans Using NaloxoneAddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthAugust 4, 2015After three overdose deaths in just two days in Lynn, Massachusetts, Sen. Edward J. Markey has proposed federal legislation to protect “good Samaritans” who use the overdose antidote Narcan. The move may have been taken in response to the recent deaths, but rising overdose deaths have long been a problem across the U.S., and many…
IRS Gives Thumbs Up to Pot Accountants, But Huge Tax Bite Will ContinueAddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 30, 2015Tax professionals who assist licensed pot growers, product manufacturers and retailers in Colorado and Washington “will not be considered unethical [and] will not be targeted for audit,” the IRS advisory council said in a November 2014 statement.
Is Harsh Drug Sentencing On Its Way Out?AddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 17, 2015The “lock ’em up and throw away the key” mindset that took hold in the 1980s in response to rising crime and drug use is showing increasing signs of waning with new calls for judicial change and the commutation of 46 nonviolent drug offenders’ sentences.
