State Government
STATE IGNORES DETOX LAW
December 14, 2005 
An audit of state drug abuse treatment services released by the Idaho Legislature’s office of “Operational Performance” concludes the Governor’s office and the Department of Health and Welfare have knowingly and brazenly ignored state law–for 10 years.
State officials have been able to flip the bird at the legislature and with good reason. While the law MANDATES Health and Welfare to provide detox and drug abuse services, there has been no funding. The law calls for commissions, meetings, reports, plans, etc. but it has all been ignored. One might say it is almost criminal.
The GUARDIAN broke this DETOX STORY. story October 1 when Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney attempted to arrange for a detox treatment facility in his new jail. 
The need–especially among prison and jail inmates– is critical, but it is a duty of state government to step up and obey the laws they have ignored.
Raney is like a pit bull on the issue, forging ahead on his plans. We like the idea of a state funded facility. Citizens here are not the “State of Boise or the State of Ada” and we shouldn’t have to take up the slack when the state fails to do its duty. The detox treatment issue is just one of many areas the state Idaho has left up to locals to fund.
Meanwhile the legislature not only denies funding, they prohibit cities from charging local option taxes to pay for transportation, drug treatment and other services which are needed due to the rampant growth all politicians crave.
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Dec 14, 2005, 4:35 pm
Boise is the only City I’ve lived in without a de-tox center available for all 7/24. The fact that the governor and state governor have deliberately ignored state law by allowing the dept. of health and welfare too ignore the fact that these ” mandated by law” facilities are non-existent does not surprise me at all. Kempthorne and our state legislators have turned a ” blind-eye” to the law for years on innumerable occasions. The state bureaucracy just follows their lead..
Dec 15, 2005, 7:33 pm
Before committing our precious local property tax dollars to a detox center, I would like to know how much effort has been made to get the legislature to step up to the plate and provide state funding.
Idaho Code section 39-303 says that, “The Idaho department of health and welfare is hereby designated as the state substance abuse authority.” It does not say that the cities and counties are responsible for providing – or footing the bill for – these services.
If Ada County and its cities go ahead and pay for such a facility and services, it is likely the state will never fulfill its obligation in this area and we, the property taxpaying public, will never see an end to paying for the detox center and services.
Sheriff Raney’s proposal to build a facility and staff it at a reduced cost has merit; lets just get the appropriate agency to foot the bill for this project. Alternatively, the private sector could build a detox facility and the state could pay for services provided there.
Dec 16, 2005, 7:05 pm
Let the gin mills and booze peddlers pay for the detox center. They’re the ones that profit from all this addiction and abuse.
I wonder why none of the booze corporations haven’t diversified into the treatment industry. Or maybe some have. Seems a natural.
Treatment is an industry, that’s all. The aim of treatment programs is to make money, not cure addicts. Actually curing addicts for good would erode their customer base, after all.
Dec 16, 2005, 7:32 pm
Why can’t the two Mega hospitals help fund the detox center. They are always trying to spend their “non profit” profits. Hey, St. Als, St. Luke’s how about you help the community that funded your monsterous structures and massive profits that you have reaped. I see the need for a detox center everyday. Or, do the hospitals make money every time a person goes to the emergency room instead of a detox center? Just a thought.