Baltimore — long burdened by heavy rates of heroin abuse — has joined the ranks of municipalities and states shifting away from a punishment-centered approach to illegal drug use, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Baltimore police officers will soon be able to offer low-level drug users a choice — seek treatment, or face future arrests.
"You feel defeated as a police officer that wants to help that person when you keep arresting them," Ganesha Martin, chief of external affairs for the Baltimore police, told the Wall Street Journal. "They don't get the services they need when they're incarcerated."
The pre-arrest diversion programs are meant to reduce the stigma of drug addiction, get users help before they're introduced to the criminal justice system for the first time and lower costs associated with incarceration.
However, programs like Baltimore's have drawn criticism from some law enforcement officials and conservative-leaning think tanks.
Sally Satel, MD, a resident scholar with American Enterprise Institute, told the Wall Street Journal she supports diversion, but takes issue with the approach used in Baltimore and elsewhere — Portland, Ore., and Seattle among others — arguing enrollees are allowed to continue their drug use indefinitely.
"I don't think it's in the best interest of the patient," said Dr. Satel.
Fatal overdoses linked to fentanyl have increased by 18-fold since 2013, according to WSJ. Baltimore's health commissioner estimates the city is home to more than 20,000 active heroin users.
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