As a Judge serving a drug ravaged area in south-central Kentucky, I was thrilled to learn that Kentucky will receive nearly $4 million in federal funds, over the course of the next few years, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to combat prescription drug and heroin abuse. I'm grateful Kentucky was chosen, as the funds are desperately needed.
Each day in my courtroom, I witness individuals struggling with opiate addiction, many of whom have overdosed and are fortunate to be alive. Their survival is due in part to naloxone which is used to reverse overdoses and ultimately save lives. Often we hear statistics about how many heroin overdoses have been reversed due to the drug. And, hopefully, part of the $4 million funds will go toward expanding access to naloxone through emergency response personnel.
However, naloxone cannot remedy the opiate crisis which threatens to overwhelm our communities. All involved in the crisis knows this to be true. As important as naloxone is, it is not a solution. The time has come to focus efforts on increasing access to proven recovery treatments such as medication assisted therapy combined with psychosocial counseling as part of a multi-tiered response to our opiate crisis.
As a nation, we need to look at how we are providing treatment and recovery support to those struggling with this disease. While some of the medications approved to treat addiction have been abused or misused, there are non-addictive options including naltrexone and its extended-release formulation (more commonly known as Vivitrol).
I speak from experience. In 2012, we began Kentucky's Supervision Motivation Accountability Responsibility and Treatment (SMART) program. It is administered by the Office of the Courts and the Department of Corrections. Potential SMART defendants are referred by prosecutors, defense counsel and probation officers. Severely dependent opiate participants are treated with Vivitrol and counseling and face frequent and unscheduled reporting and drug testing. They must verify they are meeting their probation requirements -- such as pursuing education, seeking employment, working and attending drug treatment.
SMART works. SMART participants test positive for drugs at a much lower rate than regular probationers, despite more frequent testing. For example, from January to August of this last year, regular probationers in my jurisdiction tested positive on 30% of all drug tests. SMART participants, meanwhile, only tested positive on 3% of drug tests.
SMART participants also commit probation violations less frequently than their regular probation counterparts and are far less likely to be arrested for new offenses. SMART is just one example of how a recovery treatment -- not a rescue drug -- can make a long-term difference. An effective strategy needs both initiatives -- the ready availability of naloxone and non-addictive long term treatment options like Vivitrol and counseling.
The toll that the opioid abuse epidemic is taking on our families and communities is unacceptable. Expanding the ability to rescue people who are overdosing is encouraging, but it is not the same as treating the underlying illness. Resolving the opiate abuse epidemic means treating those in need.