Editors Note: This article is part of a series produced by the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith. The entire series will be published online at http://www.jacksonvillepatriot.com. Next: Fighting abuse a passion for Fort Smith detective. FORT SMITH Prescription drug prosecutions are now more frequent than prosecutions for methamphetamine and marijuana in both Crawford and Sebastian counties, according to prosecutors. Theres always a flux. One comes in, one disappears; another comes in, one disappears. But right now that would be the No. 1 issue with regard to narcotics, said Sebastian County Prosecutor Dan Shue. And in my perspective, theyre (prescription drugs) every bit as dangerous, and maybe more dangerous (than illicit drugs) because its like theres almost a social acceptance because it was prescribed. Crawford County Prosecutor Marc McCune said the danger of prescription drugs is also magnified because pills are so easy to get whether someone is doctor shopping or, in the case of juveniles, taking them from their parents or grandparents medicine cabinets. McCune said youths who take drugs prescribed for someone else will still rationalize theyre not as bad as illicit drugs because they were prescribed by a doctor. Minors in the juvenile system who abuse prescription … Continue reading →

http://www.nyam.org/assets/3371_DPA_NYAM_ Report_FINAL_for_WEB_v2.pdf How NY Can Become National Model by Shifting Drug Policy from a Criminalization-Based to a Public Health-Based Approach Blueprint Report Brings Stakeholders to the Table: Elected Officials, Criminal Justice Representatives, Treatment Providers, Drug Users and Policymakers Governor Cuomo Has an Opportunity to Demonstrate Strong Leadership: Despite 2009 Reforms, 40 Years After Rockefeller Drug Laws, Policies Remain Uncoordinated and Contradictory What: Press Teleconference about the Blueprint for a Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy When: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 11 a.m. EST / 8 a.m. PST Who: David Soares, Albany County District Attorney Dr. Ruth Finkelstein, Senior Vice President for Policy and Planning NYAM Dr. Robert Newman, Director, Baron Edmond de Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute of Beth Israel Medical Center Maisha Drayton, Evergreen Health Services of Western NY gabriel sayegh, New York State Director, DPA Long Island parent who lost child to overdose Tony Papa, Formerly incarcerated on a 15 Life sentence under the Rockefeller Drug Laws Location: 1-800-311-9402 Passcode: Blueprint To view report: Executive Summary: http://bit.ly/blueprint-exec Full report: http://www.drugpolicy.org/blueprint Newswise New York A comprehensive new report, Blueprint for a Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy, by The New York Academy of Medicine and the … Continue reading →