James' Place Inc.

06/26/2025

For those asked for the slides and/or who were unable to join the FED Up Rally webinar on supplantation here's the link for recording and slides:

The video recording and PowerPoint slides from our Webinar on Supplantation and Misuse of Opioid Settlement Funds can be found at

The video recording and PowerPoint slides from our Webinar on Supplantation and Misuse of Opioid Settlement Funds can be found at

FED UP! 2025 Webinar Webinar on June 24th webinar on on Supplantation and Misuse of Opioid Settlement Funds. Click Here to watch Webinar Fed_Up_FINAL_6_24_25Download This entry was posted in Advocacy Updates on June 24, 2025 by Emily Walden.

06/23/2025

We all are aware of the opioid crisis in this country. Do you know about the $56 Billion (yes, that's a B) settlement made by a host of opioid manufacturers, distributors and others? With the education of lead attorneys who settle the Big To***co agreement, this landmark settlement provides large sums of money to all US states and appropriate territories. And, unlike previous settlements there are clear legit uses for restitution - to save lives, to provide for prevention, treatment, and other targeted services.

With millions of these settlement dollars has there been misuse - sadly, yes.

And, last week another huge settlement was finally signed with the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma for $7.4 Billion (yes, again that's a B). To learn what is happening and how you might be part of the solution insuring these mega millions go to save lives, consider this webinar - Tuesday, June 24th, 1-2 PM EST. There is no feel and you'll need to register at:

https://t.co/n57IG51hOi or scan the QR code below

02/13/2025

It's that time of year yet again - Maryland's legislative session is up to speed with budget hearings and always new bills up for consideration. One in particular that we oppose is SB 604/HB 1398 often referred to as "drug induced homicide."

So the state budget issue is a mess given a deficit of $3 Billion! We'll see how this plays out.

As for DIH, we are all for solutions to prevent, treat and support those in recovery for however long they need. Our joint advocacy work has seen phenomenal increases in putting evidence based solutions to work - harm reduction programs including naloxone distribution, use of medications for treatment of substance use disorders, and much more.

What doesn't work is piling on more and more jail time. Here's a great article by our colleague Toni Torsch - check it out:
https://marylandmatters.org/2025/02/12/proposed-drug-induced-homicide-laws-would-take-the-state-back-to-failed-policies-of-the-past/

And, the last thing Maryland needs is to increase the expense of longer jail times that offer little to recovery.

As a mother who lost a son to drugs, Toni Torsch understands the appeal of drug-induced homicide laws. But as someone who works to reduce addiction, she writes, she also knows that piling on more penalties is not the solution to the problem.

09/28/2024

This isn't brand new news.. yet it keeps getting better! It's take quite a long time to get a women's residential treatment program open in Howard County. The men's program, Howard House, has been running for many years most under the wise hands of Al Arrington.

Today the women's house has 13 women (one opening as of today) safely residing in a lovely location - think a bit of horse country. Collaborating with Tuerk House and the staff at both the men's and women's programs is an honor and constant learning experience. This link is from the ribbon cutting which took place on a very frigid March morning. Warm hearts and seeing the finished renovations made it a special event.

Today we've got a variety of programs helping expand the experience of these focused, hard working women!

Howard County continues to make progress!

Highland House has opened in Howard County to help pregnant women recover from substance misuse.

08/04/2024

Wow, I've been so remiss on updating this page!! Clearing out junk, friends!

08/04/2024

Excellent 20 minutes to be part of positive change in the world. Fixing the world? Wow, not possible. Saving the world? Yikes? Too big a job for anyone. Change the world? Together we are making this happen.... Take a few minutes for this excellent TED Talk, Asheville.

Heroism is overrated. It is always movements that lead to large-scale change, though our dominant cultural narrative of change focuses on individuals. It is ...

06/10/2024

I've not posted for some time. So much work to be done to save lives, support folks moving from treatment or incarceration into recovery housing, raising funds...it just goes with the territory of advocacy.

As we work in Maryland planning for next year's legislative session, many things are on the table for consideration. We still need to decriminalize paraphernalia, open overdose prevention sites (OPS), continue tapping into the latest research to debunk OLD, STALE misinformation for sure.

One issue that blew up in Maryland was the old fashion, failed desire to increase penalties for substance possession. Hard to believe that it hasn't been enough to fail for over 40 years with the war on drugs...so we never learn? Or is it about pain, retribution? Today we hear the term "poisoning" with substances like fentanyl. This drug is in just about everything these days.

Deaths from alcohol related causes are off the charts as well. It's all poison. The focus for us is on those strategies that work, proven means of treatment, medical maintenance, supportive housing, transportation, drug courts and so much more.

The latest craze is to decriminalize drugs or not. Oregon took a swing for the fences a few years back. They did not have enough services in place to serve the needs of those who were suffering. That has now been overturned.

A program in Vancouver had planned to follow Oregon but...no surprise...elections got in the way. That has been struck down..at least for now. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/08/canada-british-columbia-decriminalization-drugs-overdose/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzE3OTA1NjAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzE5Mjg3OTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MTc5MDU2MDAsImp0aSI6ImEyNjI3ZmU4LTIyMTItNGM3My1hZGRhLWY0ZTczZTliNjUwZSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS93b3JsZC8yMDI0LzA2LzA4L2NhbmFkYS1icml0aXNoLWNvbHVtYmlhLWRlY3JpbWluYWxpemF0aW9uLWRydWdzLW92ZXJkb3NlLyJ9.JMdgNf7xHak6MnXE8UqT3SZ1DSmy0kpv1g6E-goSyY0

There's talk in Maryland to consider this. If we, collectively as a state, don't understand the impact of legalizing cannabis especially on our teens, we want to make things even worse? For whom does this bell toll?

We are not mature enough as a citizenry - or so it seems - to keep layering on solutions that are not mature enough to effectively save lives or reduce suffering. Let's do things proven to work and decrim of paraphernalia and overdose prevention sites are two excellent options that should be in place now, today!

Let's choose integrated, proven solutions.

01/09/2024

Thanks, Don - we do need more Charlene's and fewer Duffy's. My heart breaks over and over with every Duffy we lose.

Some congressional critics, ultra-conservative think tanks, and certain media vehemently dispute the need for domestic funds and services. Not real emergencies, they say. For those of us committed to social justice and providing essential human services that these funds support, it's disheartening t...

01/05/2024

Prepare for Maryland's upcoming legislative session with this look ahead!

The 2024 Maryland Legislative Session is just around the corner and we are excited to share the initiatives and priorities that we will be pursuing. Please join the BHSB Policy Team and several of our partners for our annual legislative preview.