In an effort to understand and educate, Pennsylvania leaders, lawmakers, and lawyers came together to exchange ideas about opioid addiction law and policy, and to support services that combat the opioid epidemic.
The Law and Government Institute at Widener Law Commonwealth, along with the Dauphin County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS), organized the discussion, entitled Opioid Epidemic: Law and Policy.
The program focused on three areas: the scope of the problem; the government’s response; and legal challenges. Topics addressed included the use of medical marijuana as an alternative treatment for pain, who is affected by the epidemic, and how changes to law and public policy could help stop the spread of the opioid epidemic.
WITF reporter Ben Allen, who sat on one panel, asked the question, “Who does this impact?”
The answer is - everybody. The opioid epidemic affects people ranging from newborn babies to grandparents with custody of children who have lost parents to the epidemic.
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a 2002 alumnus of Widener Law Commonwealth, called the issue of opioid addiction one of the most bipartisan issues he has ever seen. His office is studying government programs and policies to gauge their effectiveness in combating the epidemic.
“It’s not just the money we spend, but the effectiveness of it,” said DePasquale.
Other panelists included Graham Hetrick, Coroner, Dauphin County, Ed Marsico, District Attorney, Dauphin County, and David Spotts ‘93, Director of Public Safety, Lower Paxton Township.
