HR0131 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0131 LRB102 17212 LAW 22670 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, In 2017, the opioid crisis was declared a national public health emergency; and

WHEREAS, At the time, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that over 2.1 million people in the United States suffered from an opioid use disorder; and

WHEREAS, The criminal justice system has felt the impact of this epidemic; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that nearly 15 percent of state prisoners and jail inmates convicted of violent crimes and 40 percent of those convicted of property crimes reported committing their offense to support a drug addiction; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 7 percent of state prison and jail inmates were under the influence of opioids at the time of their offense; and

WHEREAS, The impact of opioid use on individuals transitioning from jail or prison back to their communities is overwhelmingly negative; and

WHEREAS, Outcomes include higher rates of returning to the criminal justice system, harm to families, negative public health effects such as the transmission of infectious diseases, and death; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that within 3 months of release from custody, 75 percent of formerly incarcerated individuals with an opioid use disorder relapse to opioid use, and approximately 40 to 50 percent are arrested for a new crime within the first year; and

WHEREAS, Medication-Assisted Treatment is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders; and

WHEREAS, Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone are used to treat opioid use disorders to short-acting opioids, such as heroin, morphine, and codeine, as well as semi-synthetic opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone; and

WHEREAS, Medication-Assisted Treatment medications relieve the withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings that cause chemical imbalances in the body; and

WHEREAS, Medications used for Medication-Assisted Treatment are evidence-based treatment options and do not merely substitute one drug for another; and

WHEREAS, The Rikers Island Jail in New York has provided Medication-Assisted Treatment medications to inmates and has witnessed fewer overdose deaths after inmates are released; and

WHEREAS, Court action has won Medication-Assisted Treatment rights for inmates in Maine and Massachusetts; and

WHEREAS, The Cook County Jail has provided Medication-Assisted Treatment medications to inmates for approximately three years; and

WHEREAS, In contrast, the DuPage County Jail has had a policy of not providing Medication-Assisted Treatment medications to inmates; at least two inmates who detoxed at the DuPage County Jail died of overdoses soon after release; the DuPage County Jail was recently sued to allow Medication-Assisted Treatment medications for inmates; and

WHEREAS, Medication-Assisted Treatment medications are safe to use for months, years, or even a lifetime; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Association for Behavioral Health has urged the DuPage County Jail and all Illinois county jails to adopt a uniformed, best practice standard of providing Medication-Assisted Treatment medications to individuals under their jurisdiction requiring such services; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we support mandating a statewide standard that requires all Illinois counties to provide Medication-Assisted Treatment medications to individuals under their jurisdiction requiring such services; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor of Illinois, the Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Families, the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Illinois County Sheriffs' Association.