Pubdate: Sun, 29 Mar 2015
Source: Keene Sentinel (NH)
Copyright: 2015 Keene Publishing Corporation.
Contact:  http://sentinelsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/223
Author: Linda Saunders Paquette
Note: Linda Saunders Paquette is executive director of New Futures.

THE DEMAND FOR ILLEGAL DRUGS IS GROWING

Supply and demand is one of the most fundamental concepts of 
economics and it is the backbone of a market economy. Demand refers 
to how much (quantity) of a product or service is desired by buyers. 
Supply represents how much the market can offer. This basic economic 
concept is in full play in New Hampshire's current illegal drug 
epidemic. As long as the demand for illegal drugs such as heroin is 
high, the supply will continue to flow into our state.

On March 18, 2015, law enforcement officials made the largest seizure 
of heroin in New Hampshire's history. A drug trafficking organization 
had been operating in the Keene area for about five years, and 
distributed nearly a kilo of heroin every 10 days on the street, 
according to U.S. Attorney John Kacavas. Keene isn't the only area in 
New Hampshire dealing with the heroin crises. Every city and town in 
New Hampshire is feeling the impact of the drug misuse epidemic. The 
supply of illegal drugs flowing into New Hampshire is driven by the 
high rates of addiction in our state.

In 2014, 300 people died from drug overdoses in New Hampshire. That 
number is up from 193 people in 2013, and 164 people in 2012. 
According to the N.H. Medical Examiner's Office, the 2014 number may 
go up even more once all of the 2014 deaths in New Hampshire have 
been reviewed. On top of this alarming increase, consider that the 
overdose reversal drug Narcan was administered 3,275 times in 2014, 
and you have a sense of the scope of the crisis. The demand for 
heroin and other illegal drugs is through the roof in New Hampshire.

Drug overdoses are just one indicator of the substance misuse 
epidemic we are facing in New Hampshire. We know that approximately 
100,000 New Hampshire citizens are in need of treatment for substance 
use disorders. We know that the rates of substance misuse by New 
Hampshire youth and young adults are some of the highest in the 
country. We know that substance misuse costs businesses more than $1 
billion per year in lost worker productivity. Alcohol misuse alone 
resulted in 9,237 fewer male workers in New Hampshire's labor force 
in 2012, an overall reduction in the state's labor force of 1.2 
percent. We know that substance misuse places an enormous strain on 
our healthcare, public safety, and criminal justice systems. 
According to Manchester Police Chief David Mara, there is one clear 
reason for the rise in Manchester's violent crimes: drugs. We also 
know that when it comes to access to treatment for substance use 
disorders, New Hampshire ranks second to last in the country - ! only 
in Texas is a person in need of treatment for substance misuse less 
likely to receive it than in New Hampshire.

There is one clear path to addressing the drug misuse crisis in New 
Hampshire: Reduce the demand for drugs. Reducing the demand for drugs 
means that our state must invest in addiction prevention, treatment 
and recovery supports. This week, the Republican members of House 
Finance Committee, Division III (the subcommittee responsible for the 
N.H. Department of Health and Human Services' budget) voted to end 
the N.H. Health Protection Program, eliminate funding for a substance 
use benefit for the standard Medicaid population, and eliminate 
increased funding for substance use services through the Governor's 
Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery.

We implore our legislators to support the provisions of the proposed 
state budget that provide funding for substance use disorder 
prevention, treatment and recovery supports. Those provisions 
include: reauthorization of the N.H. Health Protection Program, which 
provides a benefit for people with substance use disorders; providing 
a substance use disorder benefit for the traditional Medicaid 
population, which will provide substance use services to New 
Hampshire's youth and people with co-occurring mental illness and 
substance use disorders; and increased funding for prevention, 
treatment and recovery supports through the Governor's Commission on 
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery. The 
citizens of New Hampshire have had enough.

Drug overdose death is not a partisan issue. It's past time for New 
Hampshire's legislators to put politics aside and support funding to 
address the scourge of drug and alcohol misuse in New Hampshire. 
Without the resources needed to combat the drug epidemic in New 
Hampshire, demand will only grow and the supply of illegal drugs 
flowing into our state will increase. It's simple economics.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom