{"id":7893,"date":"2017-12-01T00:56:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T00:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.denverpost.com?p=2874522&amp;preview_id=2874522"},"modified":"2017-12-01T00:56:00","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T00:56:00","slug":"ag-sessions-wants-to-put-more-cops-on-the-opioid-beat-experts-say-that-wont-solve-the-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/ag-sessions-wants-to-put-more-cops-on-the-opioid-beat-experts-say-that-wont-solve-the-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"AG Sessions wants to put more cops on the opioid beat. Experts say that won\u2019t solve the problem."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/ag-sessions-wants-to-put-more-cops-on-the-opioid-beat-experts-say-that-wont-solve-the-problem\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"large-10 large-centered small-12 columns\">\n<div class=\"entry-meta-date\">Published: Nov 30, 2017, 2:38 pm \u2022 Updated: Nov 30, 2017, 4:15 pm<span class=\"single-comments-link\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"byline\">By <strong>Paige Winfield Cunningham<\/strong>, <em> The Washington Post<\/em><\/p>\n<p>If the opioid epidemic was simply a problem of supply \u2013 people being able to access drugs too easily \u2013 then a targeted new effort in Appalachia announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week would be a huge stride toward combating the crisis.<\/p>\n<p>The problem with this approach, however, is that experts agree the opioid epidemic is all about demand. Far too many <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/11\/28\/opioid-deaths-america-prescriptions\/93377\/\">Americans rely on opioid painkillers<\/a>, creating a huge customer base for illicitly gained prescription drugs and more serious street drugs, such as heroin and fentanyl.<\/p>\n<p>Sessions\u2019s new plan involves sending more Drug Enforcement Administration agents to the areas where opioid abuse is most rampant. But those fighting the epidemic on the ground say the law enforcement strategy must be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/11\/24\/prescription-opioids-withdrawal-patients-pain-doctors\/93252\/\">coupled with medical help<\/a> for those suffering from addiction, or the Trump administration won\u2019t get very far in its efforts.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/11\/29\/sessions-marijuana-enforcement-cole-memo\/93540\/\">Sessions says DOJ just talked \u201cat some length\u201d about marijuana enforcement<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\u201cThis is a demand-driven problem and we are trying to apply supply-restricting solutions,\u201d Michael Brumage, executive director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department in Charleston, West Virginia, told me (West Virginia is the state hit hardest by the crisis). \u201cThat\u2019s what we tried on the war on drugs, and that failed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sessions is creating an entirely new DEA division overseeing the Appalachian region to help local law enforcement combat drug abuse, especially of prescription opioids, The Washington Post\u2019s Sari Horwitz and Matt Zapotosky report. He also announced $12 million in new grants and the designation of an opioid coordinator to work with prosecutors to better manage prosecutions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday, we are facing the deadliest drug crisis in American history,\u201d Sessions said at a news conference Wednesday. \u201cBased on preliminary data, at least 64,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses last year. That would be the highest drug overdose death toll and the fastest increase in that death toll in American history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Separately, Sessions also mentioned <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/11\/29\/sessions-marijuana-enforcement-cole-memo\/93540\/\">recent DOJ discussions on marijuana enforcement<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The new Louisville Field Division will unify drug trafficking investigations in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, with a focus on the Appalachian Mountains, officials said. It will include about 90 special agents and 130 task force officers.<\/p>\n<p>Washington Examiner\u2019s Kelly Cohen tweeted \u201csessions also directs all US attorneys to designate an \u2018opioid coordinator\u2019 by 12\/15 to facilitate cases in each district. each coordinator must also revise each district\u2019s opioid epidemic strategy by february 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">sessions also directs all US attorneys to designate an \u201copioid coordinator\u201d by 12\/15 to facilitate cases in each district. <\/p>\n<p>each coordinator must also revise each district\u2019s opioid epidemic strategy by february 2018.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 kelly cohen (@politiCOHEN_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/politiCOHEN_\/status\/935915416018399232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>At least in terms of geography, Sessions is spot on. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the prevalence of opioid abuse in the Appalachian region \u2013 and how it gets worse and worse the closer in you get to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/08\/11\/west-virginia-marijuana-legalization\/85781\/\">West Virginia (which is basically the epicenter of the crisis)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you look at what researchers call \u201cdiseases of despair\u201d (drug and alcohol overdose, suicide and alcoholic liver disease), they have a stronger foothold in the center of Appalachia than on the fringes. In central Appalachia, those maladies led to 94.4 deaths per 100,000 people, but the rate is 52.3 deaths per 100,000 in southern Appalachia.<\/p>\n<p>But law enforcement officers will tell you that keeping an area free of drug dealers for any length of time is a steep task. Brumage called the new DEA forces a \u201cstep in the right direction,\u201d but his enthusiasm is tempered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce you bust everybody in a particular area, you have a temporary lull but it lasts only a few days,\u201d Brumage said. \u201cThere are always people and supply willing to fill the void.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Activists who watched the uphill and international \u201cwar on drugs\u201d of the past several decades also fear the Trump administration will halt its efforts with beefing up law enforcement, instead of also <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/10\/26\/trump-opioid-crisis-victims\/90951\/\">pouring more resources into helping Americans<\/a> break free of their drug addictions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe emphasis continues to be punishment, so I think it\u2019s very concerning,\u201d said Gabrielle de la Gueronniere, director of policy for the Legal Action Center, a nonprofit organization that fights discrimination against people with a history of addiction. \u201cWe\u2019re not really treating this as an illness. There\u2019s a huge treatment gap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sessions also announced that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway will continue to help lead the opioid effort.<\/p>\n<p>Several reporters clarified that the Trump administration isn\u2019t creating a new \u201cdrug czar,\u201d as some reports suggested. Politico\u2019s Brianna Ehley tweeted \u201cSessions was just describing her current role\/what she has been doing for months. Nothing new and \u2018opioid czar\u2019 is not a real title \u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sessions was just describing her current role\/what she has been doing for months. Nothing new and &#8220;opioid czar&#8221; is not a real title <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/W1EExoCBr3\">https:\/\/t.co\/W1EExoCBr3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Brianna Ehley (@Briannaehley) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Briannaehley\/status\/936013736984313857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Politico\u2019s Sarah Karlin-Smith tweeted \u201cWhite House tells Politico\u2019s @Briannaehley Buzzfeed story incorrect. Sessions just reiterating Conway\u2019s current role. WH has no plan to name an opioid czar. \u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">White House tells Politico&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Briannaehley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Briannaehley<\/a> Buzzfeed story incorrect. Sessions just reiterating Conway&#8217;s current role. WH has no plan to name an opioid czar. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/E9VJ5AUMBi\">https:\/\/t.co\/E9VJ5AUMBi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sarah Karlin-Smith (@SarahKarlin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SarahKarlin\/status\/936018160200880128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>On a related topic, Sessions said he\u2019s \u201cdubious\u201d of a law restricting DEA\u2019s enforcement powers, which <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2017\/10\/16\/congress-drug-lobbyists-dea-opioids\/90120\/\">The Post detailed in a recent investigation<\/a>. The Post\u2019s Sari Horwitz tweeted \u201cSessions says he was \u201cdubious\u201d of law gutting DEA enforcement abilities in #OpiodCrisis. AG says he\u2019ll support new leg to give DEA enforcement tools back. This was in response @mattzap ? regarding WaPo investigation by @ScottHigham1 &amp; @LennyMBernstein\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sessions says he was &#8220;dubious&#8221; of law gutting DEA enforcement abilities in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OpiodCrisis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OpiodCrisis<\/a>. AG says he&#8217;ll support new leg to give DEA enforcement tools back. This was in response <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mattzap?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@mattzap<\/a> ? regarding WaPo investigation by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottHigham1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ScottHigham1<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LennyMBernstein?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LennyMBernstein<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JmzTWVcUMT\">https:\/\/t.co\/JmzTWVcUMT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sari Horwitz (@SariHorwitz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SariHorwitz\/status\/935919271787552768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .row --> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>If the opioid epidemic was simply a problem of supply &#8211; people being able to access drugs too easily &#8211; then a targeted new effort in Appalachia announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week would be a huge stride toward combating the crisis. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7038,233,1346,306,6964,6813,77,5667,9,6833,5019,6983,1,3,475,61,1338,1736],"tags":[7039,2811,3916,2884,6967,6818,2655,5673,6835,5022,6984,3049,3908],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7893"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7893\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}