Drug Treatment In Baltimore Maryland:

Drug Treatment in Baltimore Maryland:

There are few places that have taken such proactive measures with the problem of Drug abuse and treatment. Since the mid 1990’s the city and its officials have rallied to improve the drug treatment options of the city. The battle goes on as there are differences of opinion between city and state officials, but there has been a lot of progress. The city officials stand firm on their commitment for insuring the availability of treatment.

It was Mayor Kurt Schmoke who originally put forth the driving force to increase the monies going toward drug treatment in Baltimore, Maryland. By the end of his term in 1999 he had allotted over 2 million dollars for drug treatment in the Baltimore area. Businesses in the area began speaking out in favor of more action for drug treatment saying it was the biggest deterrent to crime.

Mayor O’Malley picked up where Mayor Schmoke left off and continued the fight for better drug treatment. Civic and business leaders all joined the cause in an effort to bring to light the drug problem and the need for treatment for whoever needs it. In 1998 the Maryland Treatment Task Force was formed to study the availability of drug treatment in the Baltimore area. What they found was that the biggest problem with drug treatment efforts was because of lack of funding, which put the load squarely on the shoulders of the State Government who had allotted less than the city wanted.

The state also was allotted 4.4 Billion over 25 years as a part of the tobacco settlement. Part of that money has been allocated toward drug treatment in Baltimore Maryland. Since Baltimore is an independent city and is not a part of a county, it relies heavily on State budgeting. Baltimore is by far the leading edge on its fight against drug abuse and for drug treatment. The citizen’s by-and-large support the effort to allow more money for drug treatment and the implementation of the treatment on demand system. With the “Treatment on Demand” policy, everyone who sought treatment or was ordered by the courts to receive treatment would receive it within 48 hours.

While the city and state go back and forth on the amount of money that should be allocated, one thing is certain; Baltimore’s population has a huge drug problem that has to be faced aggressively. Police are only able to do so much and until the drug abuser is treated they will continue to buy and use drugs. There have been great strides for drug treatment in Baltimore Maryland but there is more to do if the drug problem is to be curbed.

As long as Baltimore keeps pushing ahead with their efforts there should be sign of great success in the near future. Now that the treatment on demand program is a reality, there should be less drug abusers out there due to better drug treatment in Baltimore Maryland.