Good morning and happy Monday. Todays post is somewhat related to yesterdays. It has more discussion involving President Trump. Headlining the article however is the somewhat recent appointment of the Department of Justice (DOJ) new point person on the opioid crisis, her name is Mary Daly. Daly has worked for over a decade as a prosecutor and has dealt with the war on drugs first hand. She claims that this epidemic is the worst she has seen so far (like many others) and shares her opinion on such matters. At the very least we know that there are people in the government focusing on the issue.
https://www.npr.org/2018/04/09/599854675/federal-prosecutor-takes-on-new-case-as-doj-point-person-for-opioid-crisis
This next link includes a one minute video from a news station in Indiana. Another instance of initiatives being taken to educate the public.
http://www.wlfi.com/content/news/Know-the-O-Facts-aim-to-slow-the-opioid-crisis--479102093.html
While change in leadership can be good to combat crisis', I wonder if Daly will lean towards trumps "get-tough law enforcement" or find a middle ground. After reading about the opioid crisis from class material, it seems that when law enforcement is in a get-tough mode, violence only increases. I feel as if more focus needs to be directed towards improving treatment and identifying sources of the dangerous drugs, rather than increasing violent interaction between users and law enforcement.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the way this issue is combated. We need to be taking examples other countries have set and implement them catered to the United States. Other countries are able to resolve their issues in a much more peaceful way. Violence is not the answer to the opioid crisis.
DeleteI think new leadership can sometimes be helpful... but it has to be the right person. It will be interesting to see how she does.
ReplyDeleteI think her experience with the opioid crisis will definitely help her in her new position. Hopefully she can utilize her experience and take productive steps while in office.
DeleteShe seems to have the knowledge and experience to improve the crisis. If she is the right person, it will be interesting to see how quickly she can make a change. Based on her experiences, I feel she will try to find a balance between treating/recovering those affected and stopping trafficking. She seems to understand both sides very well.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think treating and assisting addicts in recovery is half the battle. Addiction will happen regardless, I think Daly's experience in the recovery of addicts will be very beneficial for the Trump administration and the fight against the opioid crisis.
DeleteI wonder what kind of approach and policies Daly will take when addressing the crisis. Will it be matter of cutting off supply (pharma, drug dealers), reducing the demand (addressing treatment and recovery), or strike a balance between both?
ReplyDeleteI think that the only way to combat the crisis is to strike a balance between both. While it is important to cut off the supply, I think it is even more important to reduce demand. Locking up drug dealers doesn't really solve anything because it's my belief that a new one will just replace them. I think going at it from the demand side will provide better long term results. With better programs for addicts, that aid in recovery and also education about the dangers of opioids, we will see lasting results in the crisis.
DeleteI think it is a good question to discuss on economic dimension. I cannot see a possible way to decrease demand, because it is a personal oriented willingness, so it is hard to cut down. However, if we can only decease the supply of drug (with a constant level of demand), the price goes up. Although government forces to shut down legal drug industries, illegal and small industries grow up, and later may be taken by Mexican drug gangster, making the whole industry more professional and maintain the same amount of supply. So how to strike a balance between D and S is a big question.
Delete