Rep. Kind Co-sponsors Legislation to Provide Alternatives to Incarceration for those Suffering from Drug Addiction

La Crosse, WI – Today, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (WI-03) co-sponsored two pieces of legislation to provide state and local law enforcement access to additional resources to help those addicted to drugs get the treatment they need instead of being put through an endless cycle of incarceration.

“In my meetings with local law enforcement officials across western and central Wisconsin one of the key topics we discussed was the need to provide more resources to help get those who are suffering from addiction the treatment they need instead of continually putting them in jail,” said Congressman Ron Kind. “While La Crosse is already leading the charge with their drug treatment courts more can be done to help local officials. These two pieces of legislation will provide increased education, access to Naloxone, and grants for those law enforcement agencies looking at implementing innovative solutions to address the problem.”

“For years society has thought we could arrest our way out of the problem. However, it is clear the key to addressing opiate addiction is increased access to treatment facilities and mental health care providers,” said Ronald Tischer, La Crosse Chief of Police. “We in the law enforcement field are encouraged that the federal government has recognized the significant impact of opiate addiction on the communities across our country, and I believe that we as a society are moving down the right path to address opiate addiction.”

Read Rep. Kind’s full Drug Epidemic Action Plan here.

H.R. 2805, the Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act works to combat the current opioid and heroin addiction epidemic through a multi-step approach. These steps include public education, establishing prescription guidelines, reauthorizing funding for Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, and funding to increase Naloxone availability.

H.R. 4654, the Keeping Communities Safe Through Treatment Act will allow Police Officers the discretion to divert individuals committing low-level drug offenses into pre-booking diversion and treatment programs as opposed to incarceration.