The two Franklin County-based candidates for the state Assembly have outlined platforms on the heroin and opioid crisis, a critical issue in the region.

Heroin and opioid overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental deaths in New York state.

Billy Jones is a Democrat, chairman of the Franklin County Board of Legislators and a former mayor of Chateaugay. Kevin Mulverhill of Malone is a Republican, Franklin County sheriff and a retired state trooper.

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Opioid-blocking drugs

Increasing the number of people trained to administer opioid-blocking drugs such as naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, and increasing access to treatment in the rural North Country are paramount in Jones’ platform.

He said he agreed with legislation proposed by Assemblywoman Addie Russell that would require members of the state police, city police departments and sheriffs’ departments to be trained and carry opioid-blocking drugs in their vehicles.

Mulverhill would also like to increase the number of people trained in administering naloxone. He believes law enforcement agencies should have the kit available to administer the drug at all times.

Jones highlighted the effectiveness and urged further consideration of the non-narcotic opioid blocker Vivitrol, which serves to reduce cravings during periods of recovery and decrease the likelihood of relapse.

Mulverhill also said he supports the idea of using Vivitrol more widely, and said Franklin County is currently examining a Vivitrol program to have in the county jail.

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Treatment beds

The lack of treatment beds in the North Country was also of primary concern to Jones.

“Waiting days for a bed at a treatment facility while living in a drug-plagued environment makes the prospect of success more difficult,” he said. “The ambulatory detox center coming to Schuyler Falls is an example of how we can work to expand treatment availability.”

Mulverhill stressed that one of the most important parts of the crisis is increasing access to care and rehabilitation services here in the North Country. He said the region has a shortage of bed space and recovery areas for addicts.

“Albany must stand strong and work with insurance companies to open up more beds and allow for greater insurance coverage of this epidemic,” he said. “It should be on a doctor’s terms – not the insurance company – that determines how long a loved one needs to get the focus and treatment they deserve.”

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Taking on the insurance companies

Jones said he believes the state should extend the 14-day requirement of uninterrupted care it passed this year for people seeking treatment for their addiction. He said insurers should still be forced to cover the finances of the extension.

“Health experts should decide how much care is needed, not large insurance companies that are only worried about their bottom line,” he said.

Jones also stressed the importance of eliminating incentives for physicians to prescribe painkillers when other treatment options are available.

Mulverhill criticized insurers who use what’s dubbed the “fail first” model in denying more intensive inpatient treatment to addicts until they’ve proven outpatient visits aren’t sufficient enough.

Often times this leads to too late of an intervention,” he said, “and I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to get out in front of this. We should be requiring a mandatory 72-hour hold by hospitals for anyone who has been administered naloxone.

“And it’s important to remember that families are at stake here, too,” Mulverhill added. “That’s why I support the development of a civil process to allow families to petition court to order severely addicted persons into outpatient or inpatient treatment.”

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Drug education

Touting a $28 return on investment for every $1 spent on drug education programs, Jones emphasized the importance of the state continuing to invest in Drug Abuse Restriction Education (DARE), though he said the education should be more drug specific. He pointed to a study conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, which found, “many beliefs and attitudes held by young people are drug specific.”

“Research shows that while broad-based campaigns are effective, it’s more effective for prevention efforts to focus on a specific drug or class of drugs,” he said.

Mulverhill thinks drug education should be taught as early as the third grade in state schools to help with prevention. He said working with elementary educators and administrators would be a critical part of drafting just what that education would look like.

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Law enforcement

Jones said jailing of illegal drug offenders was a “failed strategy,” though he said law enforcement should be provided with tools to take drugs off the streets. He said it’s important to distinguish between “big” drug dealers looking to profit on the addiction of others compared to people suffering from addiction who deal small quantities only to continue feeding their own addiction.

Speaking from his experience as Franklin County sheriff, Mulverhill said “we cannot arrest our way out of this epidemic,” but he did stress law enforcement’s role in the fight.

As such, he supports prohibiting drug dealers from participating in the state’s judicial diversion program, instead mandating imprisonment. He also said he supports the “Death-by-Dealer” statute, which would hold heroin dealers criminally responsible for the deaths they cause. And he said the state should explore providing funding to allow correctional facilities to dedicate detox and rehabilitation wings for inmates to try to lower the rate of recidivism.