Chief Leonard Camponello made the announcement last weekend that any addict who walks into their precinct looking for help will not be charged, even if they're carrying drugs or paraphernalia on them at the time of arrival.
“We will assign them an ‘angel’ who will be their guide through the process. Not in hours or days, but on the spot. I’ve never arrested a tobacco addict, nor have I ever seen one turned down for help when they develop lung cancer, whether or not they have insurance. The reasons for the difference in care between a tobacco addict and an opiate addict is stigma and money. Petty reasons to lose a life.”As of now, he has gotten support from Lahey Hospital and Medical Center as well as Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester. He is now planning a trip to Washington D.C. to meet with his state's senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.
Personally, I applaud Cheif Camponello and his department's progressive attitude toward fixing the drug issue, and helping those in need not arresting them and throwing them away for years. It has become increasingly obvious that America's traditional method of dealing with drug addicts is simply not working, and there is one simple fact we must accept: no one enjoys being addicted to any substance.
There is no doubt that this is a step in the right direction for the assistance of drug addicts in America, and I have high hopes that programs like this will be recognized for what they are; an attempt to help those in pain, not get rid of them.
That's all I have to say, but I'll be back Monday.
"Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air... but only for one second without hope." -Hai Lindsey
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