Page 30 - Needle Exchange Program News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Association, as we were talking before the panel began, you shared with me that your organization has previously supported a measure that mark leno brought forward to lower the punishment for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana to a misdemeanor to an infraction. In this case your organization is essentially opposed to it. What do you say to mr. Adelman and mr. Gascon . I think one of the things i want to point out is that in terms of the changes currently taking place in californias criminal Justice System is that we have embarked on a very, very large experiment and thats called rea...

Others are beginning to say enough is enough. Were seeing prison populations beginning to decline but when it comes down to the question, who are the first people we should stop putting behind bars . Who is the people who really dont belong there . Its people whose only offense is possession of a substance to put in their own body, right . Thats the first group that needs to be let out. [applause] marty, let me ask you, youre obviously part of the california district attorneys association, as we were talking before the panel began, you shared with me that your organization has previously suppo...

We have embarked on a very, very large experiment and thats called realignment. Prison population in california is going to approach by or sometime next year the federal mandate of 130,000. Weve already released some 50,000 individuals to serve their time locally, and these offenses that we were talking about here are currently in the list of offenses that were to be served in county jails now. And if the notion here is to provide services and treatment to these individuals from a practical point of view, and i lean heavily on my experience as a misdemeanor prosecutor for all those years when ...

The unexpected things that has happened all over the country, particularly in the last five years, is that there has been a huge and rapid escalation in heroin use in our country. And also in the number of deaths in all age groups, in all strata of society in all states, from heroin overdoses. And because the heroin epidemic has been so big and because it has not been geographically concentrated in any one place, its been all over, in the cities, in suburbs in rural areas, everywhere. Blue states, red states, everywhere. It has led to some surprising alliances. In terms of people coming togeth...

Heroin use in our country. And also in the number of deaths in all age groups, in all strata of society in all states, from heroin overdoses. And because the heroin epidemic has been so big and because it has not been geographically concentrated in any one place, its been all over, in the cities, in suburbs in rural areas, everywhere. Blue states, red states, everywhere. It has led to some surprising alliances. In terms of people coming together to try to find a solution to this problem. It has led to some surprising policy outcomes. For example, in indiana, the iv drug use problem was so perv...