HOT ISSUES:
IN PERSPECTIVES _________________________

Compromise on syringe bill brings issue for Senate vote
In view of the years of futility needle exchange advocates in New Jersey have experienced, the two-hour recess taken by the Senate Health and Senior Services Committee during a Sept. 18 hearing on the issue seemed a delay of little consequence. As it turned out, however, those two hours may have made all the difference. When the committee members reconvened, they came with a compromise that they – with encouragement from some powerful quarters - had hashed out to produce the votes necessary for the release of a syringe access bill.

The legislation that emerged from the Senate Health panel contains a $10 million treatment appropriation and the provision that the program is to be piloted in no more than six locations. In agreeing to the compromise to S-494, Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex), the measure’s sponsor, said she wouldn’t allow “the perfect to be the enemy of the good.” Her original bill included no treatment funding and had no limit on the number of exchanges the state would implement.
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DAS sequel providers meeting shows strides in funding, care
If the aim of the early summer forum Division of Addiction Services officials had with treatment providers was to present a vision, the recent follow-up session with them demonstrated how pieces of that vision had already begun to come to fruition. Department of Human Services Deputy Commissioner Jim Smith spoke about progress and a “pretty bright future” for the division at the Oct.4 meeting, and over two hours of presentations the reasons for his optimism were increasingly clear. Smith said the division’s growth, an expansion of “its tentacles,” would be achieved with more integration with other divisions within the department. The promising future he described referred in part to the possibility of drawing down more federal dollars, a goal he touched on during a June 15 session with the providers.
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Recovery support benefits reviewed at D.C. briefing
“A sleeping giant,” was the description of the recovering community and its unrealized potential to affect addiction policy offered by Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minnesota), co-chair of the House of Representatives Addiction Caucus. Ramstad made his comment in Washington, D.C, during review of the successes of recovery support organizations in three states: Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Connecticut.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, (second from the left) meets with presenters and attendees at the Recovery Support Services Briefing, held Sept. 28 at the Captitol in Washington, D.C. Along with Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minnesota, Kennedy is co-chair of the House of Representative's Addictions Caucus.

Ramstad was joined at the session by his Addiction Caucus co-chair, Patrick Kennedy (D-Rhode Island). Kennedy also spoke of the how the voice of people in recovery, if fully tapped, could make all the difference in moving legislation affecting addiction treatment, prevention and recovery. “The (12-step) tradition of anonymity does not mean we give up our rights as citizens,” Kennedy said. The confusion about anonymity and ceding “the civic part of our lives,” Kennedy noted, explains why “we still don’t have parity today.” Read Story

SPEAK ABOUT RECOVERY WITH ONE VOICE Over the last two years, Faces & Voices of Recovery has been working to find a way to describe and talk about recovery so that people who are not part of the recovery community understand what the use of the word “recovery” means. One of the important findings from their 2004 survey of the general public was that people believe that the word recovery means that someone is trying to stop using alcohol or other drugs. Read what messages are effective when speaking with the media, legislators, supporters and friends. Find out how to speak about recovery with one voice.

“A textured and truthful telling of AA’s story. The play sketches evocative portraits of two complex men without portraying either as an untarnished hero. Inspiring.” – Boston Globe
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Witness an incredible story of hope and healing through real human connection. The journey that Bill W. and Dr. Bob took together has become a beacon of hope. This meeting between Bill and Bob has echoed through our history for 71 years, a meeting replayed every day of the week in every city, town, and village in our country, and throughout most of the world. In a time of despair, the power of mutual connection transcends the particular horror of substance abuse, to become a model for healing in all of our lives, a story of the power of the spirit in everyday life. Bill W. and Dr. Bob opens in New York at New World Stages 340 West 50th Street, with previews starting February 16, 2007 and opening night March 5. Get Ticket Information

Let's Talk Recovery Radio Show
With 97% of Americans experiencing the effects of addiction, the Let’s Talk Recovery Radio Show is an Access for Knowledge, Support, and Hope for the individual and family that suffers from addiction. Distributed over CRN Digital Talk (radio on the TV and computer), go to crntalk.com to stream the show live or to locate your cable channel.

SPECIAL NOTE
If your New Jersey group, organization, or house of worship has any upcoming activities such as meals for the needy, food pantries and basket giveaways, clothing closets, bazaars, flea markets, car washes or free calsses/seminars please contact Homeless to Independence, Inc.