here again is keith humphries. >> reporter: after that backwash , we have the idea that only health is involved in the police can do absolutely nothing. the effects of that are also pretty disappointing. we are back to something that sounds like maybe your grandmother might have said to you, we all have to work together, the police and health professionals have to work as a team. independently, they can be not helpful but if they can partner, they can be very helpful. for example, making sure everybody gets high-quality treatment, using law enforcement as an incentive to seek health services. shutting down open air markets that cause harm to the community while coupling it with treatment services for anybody who has been buying drugs on that market. for that to happen, it takes leadership from the top, for sure, and it also takes a lot of trust. and at the moment, i think we are having certain challenges in the trust department. they have that sense of working hand-in-hand and that is probably going to mean a lot more struggling to get our hands around this enormous problem. >> anybody

stanford addiction researcher keith humphries. >> it depends entirely on what you do after the arrest the policy is, for people who are addicted to opioids, we will hold them in a cell for 48 hours and then release them, that would probably increase overdoses. what will happen is people go through withdrawal, which is both unpleasant and dangerous. they will, with lower tolerance for the drug and be at higher risk of overdose. so that would be a destructive way to do it. >> that was my biggest fear. i really thought that i was going to stay inside for a day or two. >> reporter: fentanyl users often need the drug several times a day or every couple of hours. but while there is risk in an encounter with police, arrest is not necessarily dangerous. >> an alternative way to do it would be to enroll in good medications like methadone. when people are out , monitor and give them positive and negative consequences for their use. that kind of thing can be helpful. it all depends what you do on the back end. >> reporter: starting next month, those arrested a second time can be sent to a drug w