Connecticut residents who read stories about people being arrested for and charged with crimes involving drugs may sometimes want to better understand how this might happen. More and more is being learned recently about the extent of a serious problem in the county involving addictions to prescription drugs, epecially opioids often used for pain relief.
The fact of the matter is that a person who may originally use or take a prescription opioid drug for a legitimate reason can develop an addiction that leads them down a very dangerous path. This path may well involve criminal activity or charges. Understanding that addiction is the real problem is something that needs to happen in order to properly address the issue. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of accidental deaths nationwide today is actually opioid addiction or overdose.
The number of recorded sales of opioid drugs, people being admitted to treatment programs for drug addiction and the number of deaths attributed to drug overdoses has been rising. The problems associated with addictions to opioids has also been connected to a growth in the use of and addiction to heroin. The National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates that heroin addiction has been increasing in recent years as well.
After an arrest for a drug crime in Connecticut, defendants might want to talk with an attorney to understand how they may appropriately defend themselves and possibly learn about some other options for help.
Source: CBS News, “The opioid epidemic in 6 charts,” Andrew Kolodny, October 5, 2017
