September 17, 2015
By Dialynn Dwyer
In a post (click here) on the department’s Facebook page, Gloucester police posted the names, salaries, and contact information for five of the highest paid CEOs of pharmaceutical companies and urged readers to make some calls:
“Now...don’t get mad. Just politely ask them what they are doing to address the opioid epidemic in the United States and if they realize that the latest data shows almost 80% of addicted persons start with a legally prescribed drug that they make. They can definitely be part of the solution here and I believe they will be....might need a little push.”...
Prescription
drug addiction caught media attention in 2010 with the rise of Ambien
abuse, though it has been wreaking havoc for decades. Rx abuse is a
particularly dangerous epidemic because of the stigma surrounding pills.
Many people believe that prescription pills are not as dangerous as
heroin, meth, or the like because they are prescribed by a doctor. That
is unfortunately not the case; in fact, quite the opposite is true --
data reports show that as of as of 2012, more people die of prescription
drug overdoses a year than heroin, meth, and, cocaine combined....Police have been taking increasing roles in the fight against drug addiction. The development of this "started with police/public safety officers carrying "Narcon."
"...impact tears the whole family apart...he is waking up from the dead...surreal...all races use drugs...we are not going to arrest our way out of this. We need to help the people....
February 3, 2014
By Donna Leinwand Leger
...Since Quincy officers (click here) began carrying a nasal form of the drug, known commonly by its trade name, Narcan, in October 2010, they have administered the drug 221 times and reversed 211 overdoses, say Lt. Detective Patrick Glynn, commander of the narcotics unit and special investigations at the Quincy Police Department.
As opiate overdoses have soared nationwide, more police departments are taking a hard look at equipping their police officers and other first responders with naloxone instead of waiting for paramedics to arrive. Police are often the first to arrive at the scene, and experts say those early minutes can be the key to saving a life.
The public safety department in Espanola Valley, New Mexico in early 2013 became the first police agency in the southwest to equip its police and first responders with naloxone, says Chief Eric Garcia, director of public safety....
When an addict is at the place where the addiction becomes his or her life the family becomes estranged, hopeless and helpless. The very people needed in the life of a drug addict are not available in many cases. Police have been succesful in turning the corner for the entire family.
September 17, 2015
By Dailynn Dwyer
Officer Sean Hurley’s actions (click here) on the evening of August 17, 2015 changed the life of one man in Portland, Maine.
The 30-year-old recovering heroin addict said, in a letter
to the Portland Police Department, that he had just used and was
contemplating suicide when Hurley’s empathy—including a hug and an offer
of help—made him reconsider his current path.
“I’ve been clean since that day,” he wrote. “ ... You’ve become a hero
of mine. I honestly don’t even know if I’d still be here today if it
weren’t for what you did for me on that day.”... 
