Maine, like many states, is struggling with the tragic consequences of the opioid addiction crisis. And there’s an unfortunate correlation between addiction and incarceration: More than half of individuals in America’s jails have a substance abuse disorder. Our society largely doesn’t view jail as a place that initiates a path to recovery and healing, but the Somerset County Jail in Madison, Maine, is showing us what that could look like. Until three years ago, Somerset County was using more traditional methods to treat opioid addiction in its jail, administering a daily pill (commonly known as methadone or suboxone) to inmates. It worked — somewhat — but ultimately proved unreliable. Jail is an incredibly difficult setting in which to administer daily medication. So the local sheriff, guided by his conviction that the authorities had a responsibility to save their neighbors, asked Alane O’Connor, an addiction medicine specialist, to find a solution. She turned to an alternative medicine she had been using in her community practice since 2017: Sublocade. Her pilot program became a game changer for the jail — a story we tell in a new episode of “The Opinions.” There’s no silver bullet for addiction healing. But as O’Connor’s work makes clear, bringing innovative treatments to the incarcerated can do a lot more good than punitive thinking. “I’ve never, ever met anyone who said ‘I want to grow up and be addicted to drugs and end up in jail,’” O’Connor says in the episode. And yet, she continues, “I think society believes that patients can just make the choice to stop using tomorrow, and if they don’t have the appropriate medical treatment, that’s just a totally unreasonable expectation.” Here’s what we’re focusing on today:
We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Games Here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you’re in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times.
|
