TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona is partnering with the Tucson Police Department in their fight against opioid abuse through the deflection program.
The deflection program was implemented by the Tucson Police Department in July of 2018.
The purpose of the program is to provide treatment options instead of jail time to those possessing a small amount of drugs or drug paraphernalia.
Through their partnership with the Tucson Police Department, the University of Arizona has already completed one evaluation of the program and researchers are currently working on the next.
They were able to conduct these evaluations with the help of two grants awarded to them. One of those grants is for $1.47 million dollars from a group called U-MATTER.
The group is designed to address opioid use head-on and prevent drug-related deaths.
