Dear Lucas,
In response to a disturbing increase in heroin abuse throughout New York and around the country, this week Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced a new program that will enable every law-enforcement officer in New York to carry naloxone – a heroin
antidote that can instantly reverse the effects of overdose.
Read the New York Times' coverage HERE or watch NBC New York's segment HERE.
$5 million in criminal and civil forfeiture money from drug dealers will cover the cost of the program, known as the Community Overdose Prevention (COP) Program.
The COP Program announcement follows Eric's successful 2012 I-STOP legislation, which is helping curb the prescription drug abuse epidemic by creating an online database that enables doctors and pharmacists to report and track controlled narcotics in real time.
"With I-STOP, we've managed to reduce doctor-shopping in New York and turn off one spigot in the drug crisis – now, we can turn our focus to the scourge caused by heroin," Eric said this week. "It's particularly fitting that these efforts will be funded by money seized from drug dealers."
Read more about Eric's COP program HERE – or
check out this video.
There's much more work to be done, and we're glad you're a part of it. Thank you for standing with Eric, and have a great weekend.
Peter Ajemian
Communications Team
Schneiderman 2014