Idaho Senate Slams Door on Governor's Drug-Treatment Funding Veto
Governor Otter vetoed funding for drug-treatment, the State Senate vetoed Governor Otter.
Idaho Governor C.L. Otter vetoed $2.4 million in funding for community drug treatment programs – and the State Senate, gave that money back.
State senators voted to overturn the veto that State Senator Dean Cameron said would have meant the end of drug treatment for more than 3000 Idahoans in need. He says that the funding cut is shortsighted, and "If each one of those ended up in prison at $57 a day, that's $67 million. So it is simply not cost effective not to move forward."
And the costs of incarceration are not measured in dollar amounts alone. Vern Garrett of Ascent Behavioral Services explains that incarceration rarely solves the problems those addicted to drugs face. He says that while clients are in community treatment, they, "have jobs, are still with their families, trying to get their lives in order, and that's not possible when they're serving time."
Travis Anderson is a man who has turned his life around, in part thanks to state subsidized drug treatment. He says he had been abusing drugs and alcohol from the age of 14, but is now clean and sober, working, paying taxes, going to church and going to meetings. He says that if funding cuts meant the end of his drug treatment, "The chances are against me that I would be back using drugs and stealing and doing the things I shouldn't be doing -- a downward spiral."
The funding has been restored for a single year only, and is currently set to expire at the end of 2009.
More like this
Insurance Companies Could Save Money By Funding More Addiction Treatment
A study out of John Hopkins University suggests that insurance companies could actually save money by providing more coverage for early and aggressive substance abuse treatment.
Americans Want Addiction Treatment as a Part of Health Care Reform
Americans say that addiction treatment works, they want to see expanded access to treatment services for those in need, and they’re willing to pay for it.
Study Supports Combining Smoking Cessation and Addiction Treatment Programs
Smoking cessation efforts in addiction treatment programs help people quit without compromising overall treatment outcomes.
For Alcohol Abusers, Roughly 50% of Addiction Therapists Say Moderation, Rather Than Abstinence, Is an Acceptable Goal
Roughly half of American addiction counselors now believe that moderating consumption, rather than abstinence, is an acceptable treatment goal for people with alcohol or drug abuse problems.
US Drug Czar Calls for an End to Laws That Punish People in Recovery
In a speech at The Betty Ford Center, US Drug Car Gil Kerlikowske called for an end to laws and statutes that continue to punish people already striving for recovery.