PAARI

The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Police and Community Partners
    • Our Board and Staff
    • Public Safety Council
    • Lived Experience Council
    • Annual Report
    • PAARI Recovery Corps Members
    • Worksites
  • Join Us
    • Police/Public Safety
    • Contact Us
    • Media Room
    • Careers
    • Get the Newsletter
  • Donate Now!
  • News
    • Press Releases
    • PAARI In Development
  • Training
    • Upcoming Webinars/Events
    • Webinar Archive
    • Partner Spotlight Archive
    • 2023 PAARI National Law Enforcement Summit
    • Resources from the 2022 National Law Enforcement Summit
    • Resources from the 2019 National Law Enforcement Summit
    • Resources from the 2018 National Law Enforcement Summit
    • Resources from the 2017 National Law Enforcement Summit
  • For Police
    • Opioid Settlement Funds
    • 2023 PAARI National Law Enforcement Summit
    • Doing a Lot with a Little: How to Start a Police Department-Based Opiate Outreach Program
    • One2One: Engagement to Recovery Program
    • Police and Public Safety Organizations: Looking to Join Us?
    • The Arlington Outreach Initiative
    • The Gloucester ANGEL Program
    • Roll Call Videos
You are here: Home / Media Coverage / PAARI Cofounder and Chair John Rosenthal Comments on Drug Decriminalization Proposal

February 4, 2022

PAARI Cofounder and Chair John Rosenthal Comments on Drug Decriminalization Proposal

P.A.A.R.I. cofounder and chair John Rosenthal was quoted this week in a Boston Globe story regarding a proposal to eliminate criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of any controlled substances.

Gubernatorial candidate and Harvard Professor Danielle Allen has said that, if elected, she would push to reclassify nonviolent, personal use possession of controlled substances as a civil infraction that is subject to a fine instead of jail time. Allen would leave in place criminal penalties for larger amounts of drugs that would trigger distribution or trafficking charges.

P.A.A.R.I. supports using arrests as a last resort, and has worked to help police use non-arrest pathways and jail diversion as a critical tool in the battle against substance use disorder, but believes that criminal penalties can still provide a tool for pushing people toward treatment and recovery in the most extreme cases. 

“Certainly, arrest is a last resort, but in some cases, it’s an effective tool to force someone into a jail setting, if necessary, where they have access to treatment, if nothing else works,” said John Rosenthal, founder and board chairman of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, which he said opposes decriminalization of personal-use possession, including for heroin.

“There’s no reason to throw that tool out of the tool box,” he said.

To read the Boston Globe story in full, click here. 

Article by jgprrobert / Media Coverage

Sign up for our Newsletter!

PAARI
Tweets by @PaariUSA

National HQ

12 Broadway
Beverly, MA 01915

Plymouth Satellite Office

225 Water Street
Suite A150
Plymouth, MA 02360

 

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Join Us
  • Donate Now!
  • News
  • Training
  • For Police
Copyright © 2023 Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative Inc. · Site Design by JGPR
 

Loading Comments...