About.
About The HOPE Initiative
The HOPE (Heroin – Opioid Prevention Effort) Initiative is the first statewide program that engages law enforcement personnel in a proactive outreach strategy to combat the opioid overdose epidemic. The HOPE Initiative partners substance use professionals and members of law enforcement with the mission of reaching out to those who are at risk of overdosing to encourage them to be assessed and treated.
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Why Law Enforcement
The possession and use of illicit opioids is illegal, but we know we can’t arrest our way out of this problem. Law enforcement efforts around opioids have historically focused on trying to impact supply by cracking down on those trafficking illicit opioids in our communities. These efforts continue but we know that to be effective we need to also reduce demand for opioids with education and by helping people with substance use disorder get treatment.
Many individuals suffering from opioid use disorder are known to law enforcement because they support their drug habit through petty crime and low-level drug sales.
In fact, in the U.S. about 4 in 10 people incarcerated for property offenses committed the crime to get drugs or money to buy drugs.
By helping more Rhode Islanders towards recovery, we will drive down demand, lower the crime rate and make our communities safer and healthier.
Our Team
Our team is made up of substance use clinicians, peer recovery coaches, and state and local law enforcement officers.