Forum held on September 17, 2005
Substance abuse has devastating consequences for individuals, families, communities and society. Costs include illness and death, accidents and injuries, violence, crime, and lower productivity. Massachusetts exceeds the national average on indicators of alcohol abuse and has higher-than-average illicit drug use. The goal of this forum was to present an objective assessment of the availability of treatment and discuss strategies for making treatment more widely available. This forum provided the latest data on the gap between the need for and availability of treatment. It reviewed state and legislative efforts to help make available necessary treatment and services. Speakers included the Lt. Governor, Senator Tolman, Representative Balser, consumer and provider group advocates, and others.