Who is the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition?

Our mission is to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in Colorado. We are a coalition of nearly 7,000 individual members and over 100 faith and community organizations who have united to stop perpetual prison expansion in Colorado through policy and sentence reform.

Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

If you would like to be involved please go to our website and become a member.


Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Drug Testing Sewage?

Now they've just gone to far. And who wants this job to begin with?

BOSTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. health officials may soon be able to make estimates on illegal drug use in communities by testing for drug residues in sewage.

The approach could provide a fast, reliable and inexpensive way to track drug trends at the local, regional or state levels -- eliminating the need to rely on surveys, medical records and crime reports to assess a community's drug abuse problem -- said lead researcher Jennifer Field of Oregon State University, who is working with researchers at the University of Washington.

Preliminary tests conducted in 10 U.S. cities show the method can simultaneously quantify methamphetamine and metabolites of cocaine and marijuana, and legal drugs such as methadone, oxycodone and ephedrine, the researchers said.

Field said the new screening method under development in her lab improves upon the utility of the laboratory tools currently used to identify traces and metabolites of drugs in waterways.

Science Daily

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