The Southwest Coalition for Substance Abuse Issues

Illinois Drug Policy Report Released

Announced on August 13, 2015 8:32 am

On 08/11/15, the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University released a new report which has Illinois ranked as 44th in the nation in 2012 in state funded treatment admissions for heroin addiction. The report warned a proposed budget would further cut state funded treatment by 61%.  Additional findings reported:

  • The Chicago metropolitan area ranked #1 in the nation in the number of people admitted to emergency rooms because of heroin use
  • Cook County Jail was ranked #1 for the number of arrestees who tested positive for the drug
  • Women and youth are increasingly using the drug in the Chicagoland area

A copy of the full report, Diminishing Capacity: The Heroin Crisis and Illinois Treatment in National Perspective, is below:

Diminishing Capacity DPC 8-2015

The Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy was established in 2005 and is housed at Roosevelt University’s Institute for Metropolitan Affairs (IMA) in Chicago, Illinois. The Consortium creates policy recommendations derived from analysis of quantitative data sets, interviews with impacted populations, legislative reviews, and lessons learned from around the nation. The Consortium engages in projects that intersect with drugs and the criminal justice system and aims to inform Illinois public policy by disseminating information that informs policy-making.

The Consortium’s primary objectives are to promote discussion of alternatives to Illinois’ current drug policies and to serve as a forum for the open, honest, and thoughtful exchange of ideas.

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