Pubdate: Thu, 07 Jul 2016 Source: Boston Herald (MA) Copyright: 2016 The Boston Herald, Inc Contact: http://www.bostonherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53 Note: Prints only very short LTEs. Author: Michael G. Bellotti Note: Michael G. Bellotti is the sheriff of Norfolk County. ADDICTION DRUG A PRISON PROBLEM This week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is scheduled to announce an increase in the number of prescriptions doctors can write for Suboxone from 100 to 275 a year. Congress is considering legislation that would make further increases in the availability of the drug, used to treat addictions to heroin and other opioids. While the effectiveness of Suboxone (generically called buprenorphine) as a heroin treatment can be argued, there is no debate about it being a major problem for those of us who run correctional facilities. At the Norfolk County Correctional Center in Dedham, Suboxone is public enemy No. 1 when it comes to inmates trying to smuggle in contraband. Suboxone is an opioid derivative. It provides a "high" for its users and is popular among incarcerated inmates because it is available as a sublingual film, similar to those breath freshener strips that look like cellophane and melt quickly on the tongue. Inmates have tried just about every possible way to smuggle the Suboxone strips into the jail - from sewing them into the trousers dropped off for a court appearance, to hiding them beneath postage stamps on mail to dissolving them into paper then sent under the guise of being a kid's drawing. When defendants appear in court knowing they are likely to be sent to jail afterward, they frequently try to secrete the drug on their bodies. While we catch some of it via searches during the intake process, a significant amount still manages to get through. Inside the jail, inmates use Suboxone not only as a drug, but also as currency. A strip of dosages is worth as much as $100 and is used as barter for items in the inmate canteen or other drugs or other items delivered to associates outside the jail. We know this because we monitor inmates' phone communication with outside parties - other than attorneys - and we refer cases to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office whenever possible. Suboxone abuse forces our health services unit to devote time and resources to treating inmates high on the drug when the situations arise. It is for others to decide whether the benefits of Suboxone outweigh its drawbacks, but I think it is important for the public to know about the significant problems it creates for correction officers and jail administrators who are trying to keep our jails safe, secure and drug-free. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom