SAMHSA releases toolkit for preventing opioid overdose and overdose-related deaths

"Every overdose death is preventable."

-- Michael Botticelli, Deputy Director of ONDCP

Today, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the Opioid Overdose Toolkit: Facts for Community Members, a resource aimed at reducing the number of deaths resulting from opioid overdose through education for clinicians, patients, communities, first responders, overdose survivors, and family members.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Toolkit "promotes the use of naloxone, a life-saving overdose reversal drug which we believe should be in the patrol cars of every law enforcement professional across the nation. We have lost too many loved ones to overdose, and the deadly disease of addiction has remained for too long in the shadows."

ONDCP's online announcement states that "approximately 100 Americans died from overdose every day in 2010... more than the number who died from either homicides or traffic crashes."

"In response to this public health emergency, the Obama Administration has established a goal to reduce drug-induced deaths by 15 percent by 2015" through overdose prevention, expanding access to treatment, addressing prescription drug abuse, and expanding access to naloxone (ONDCP).

Click here to view ONDCP's full announcement.

Click here to view ONDCP's "Fact Sheet: Preventing, Treating, and Surviving Overdose"

Order a copy of SAMHSA's Opioid Overdose Toolkit.

NADCP News: "Administration Redoubles Its Efforts to Expand Drug Courts"

"Drug court is what real drug policy reform looks like." 

-- ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske

Administration Redoubles Its Efforts to Expand Drug Courts
and Other Evidence-based Sentencing Options

ONDCP Director Kerlikowske Announces Award During National Press Club Speech

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director, Gil Kerlikowske announced today that NADCP will receive a $1.4 million grant to expand the reach of Drug Courts and the groundbreaking justice reform model, the Annuals of Research and Knowledge on Successful Offender Management (ARK). Based on the Risk and Need Responsively theory, the ARK was designed as a reform framework to assess offenders and sort them into a systemic continuum of evidence-based sentencing options. Today’s announcement represents a groundbreaking step towards significant justice reform across all points of the adult justice system.

The National Press Club speech was attended by justice leaders and policy experts from across the criminal justice spectrum. Representing NADCP was an incredible group of treatment court pioneers covering over twenty years of alternative sentencing innovation and leadership. Joining NADCP CEO West Huddleston were Board Chair Judge Robert Rancourt, Board Member Judge Pamela Gray, and former Board Chairs Judge Lou Presenza, Judge John Schwartz, and Judge Chuck Simmons.

“Drug Court is what real drug policy reform looks like,” said ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske. “By giving non-violent drug offenders a chance to reclaim their lives through treatment, we can finally begin to break the cycle of drug use, crime, and incarceration in America. Every dollar we spend on supporting this type of drug policy reform pays dividends in safer and healthier communities later on.”

“Today, our vision of a solution-oriented justice system is significantly closer to becoming reality,” said NADCP CEO West Huddleston. “This funding will allow NADCP and its partners to put the ARK into practice. We remain grateful that through this funding, Congress and the Administration continues its commitment to expand the reach of Drug Courts and ensure that they remain a cornerstone of much needed criminal justice reform.”

“We look forward to taking the ARK to scale,” said NADCP Board Chair Judge Judge Robert Rancourt. “In doing so, NADCP commits to collaborating with leaders from the law enforcement, corrections, probation, prosecution, defense, substance abuse and mental health communities. Working together, we will build a comprehensive system that will forever change the delivery of effective justice in this country.”

To learn more about the ARK, watch NADCP Chief of Science, Law and Policy and ARK co-creator Dr. Doug Marlowe present during the NADCP 18th Annual Training Conference.

ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske praises Drug Courts during his remarks, NADCP Board Chair Judge Robert Rancourt flanked by former Board Chairs Judge Chuck Simmons (l) and Judge John Schwartz (r), former NADCP Board Chair Judge Lou Presenza and  Board Member Judge Pamela Gray talks with Director Kerlikowske

NADCP News: "Drug Courts Key To National Drug Control Strategy"

Drug Courts Key To National Drug Control Strategy

The [Obama] Administration has released its 2013 National Drug Control Strategy and once again Drug Courts are cited as a cornerstone of evidence-based reform. White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Gil Kerlikowske officially released the strategy today during a speech in Baltimore, Maryland. Director Kerlikowske discussed the importance of promoting policy that is rooted in science, particularly as the national debate about drug policy continues to be split between extremes: law enforcement centric or legalization. “The truth is, neither of these extreme approaches is guided by what experience, compassion, or—most important—science demonstrate about the true nature of substance use disorders in America,” he said. 

The 2013 National Drug Control Strategy emphasizes prevention, early intervention, and a ‘smart on crime’ approach that promotes diversion and treatment for addicted offenders. Drug Courts remain central to this approach and were specifically highlighted as key to breaking the cycle of drug use, crime, arrest, and incarceration by diverting non-violent offenders into treatment instead of prison. The strategy also underscores the important role of Veterans Treatment Courts in connecting veterans to the benefits and treatment they have earned. Other highlights include expanding access to treatment, including implementation of the Affordable Care Act, improving access to reentry services for those incarcerated and expanding care for veterans, college and university students, and Native Americans. 

ONDCP has developed a new webpage detailing key aspects of the Administration’s drug control strategy. To anyone familiar with Drug Court, the cover photo will look very familiar. Click here to visit the page and learn more.