For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Methuen Police Attend Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion on Drug Crisis

METHUEN — Chief Joseph Solomon is pleased to announce that its CARES Team was represented earlier this month at a special film screening and forum on substance abuse.

At the forum on Tuesday, Sept. 4, which was hosted by Boston 25 News, attendees watched a film that highlighted the sudden drug epidemic that struck Portugal in the 1980s and the steps the country took to curtail the addiction and HIV crises that followed.

After the film, a panel of law enforcement leaders discussed whether the approaches that worked in Portugal would prove as effective in the U.S., as well as what role methadone could have in addressing the American opioid epidemic.

“The opioid epidemic is a national emergency that will require everyone to maintain open minds and seek out diverse set of approaches in order to overcome,” Chief Solomon said. “I’m glad that the leaders who are on the front lines of addressing this issue are continuing to come together and have meaningful, productive conversations.”

Methuen Police CARES Team Community Engagement Specialist Colleen Welch was among the panelists who spoke following the film screening.

“The Methuen Police Department has been a leader in reinventing how we approach addiction and treatment,” Mayor James Jajuga said. “This forum was an excellent opportunity for the CARES Team to share the success its had while learning from peers in the recovery community.”

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