GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE CALLS WAR on DRUGS ‘a FAILURE’
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE CALLS WAR ON DRUGS ‘A FAILURE’ – WASHINGTON — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has become the latest leader to condemn the now 40-year-old war on drugs. “The war on drugs, while well-intentioned, has been a failure,” Christie said Monday during a speech at The Brookings Institution. “We’re warehousing addicted people everyday in state prisons in New Jersey, giving them no treatment.” Christie stressed the merits of legislation recently passed by New Jersey state lawmakers that institutes a year of mandatory treatment for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders instead of jail time. The mandatory treatment program, slated to be put in place in at least three counties during its first year, will eventually expand statewide over the next five years. Christie, one of the few Republican lawmakers to actively speak out against the effects of America’s drug war policies, sought to put a conservative moral spin on his position. “If you’re pro-life, as I am, you can’t be pro-life just in the womb,” he said. “Every life is precious and every one of God’s creatures can be redeemed, but they won’t if we ignore them.” Perhaps to blunt conservative criticism of the cost of such a program to the state, Christie argued in favor of the economics of drug treatment over incarceration. “It costs us 000 a year to warehouse a prisoner in New Jersey state prisons last year,” Christie said. “A full year of inpatient drug treatment costs 000 a year.” Christie’s strong stance on the war on drugs and drug treatment …
Christie signs drug court law
Filed under: drug rehabs in south jersey
Donna Emma, chief administrative officer at the drug rehab center Services to Overcome Drug Abuse Among Teenagers, said she believes the drug court program has been a positive influence in South Jersey. “We have faith in the drug court program,” said …
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Public Hearing on NJ Youth Heroin and Drug Abuse to be Held in Manalapan
Filed under: drug rehabs in south jersey
Last year, 7338 Monmouth County residents were admitted into New Jersey alcohol and drug treatment facilities – which is the highest number among state counties. Out of those admitted to treatment facilities in 2011, 41 percent were for heroin or other …
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