**174 people die of drug overdoses each day**

**Full discussion can be watched HERE**

[February 5, 2018 – Washington, DC – From left to right: Amanda Jordan, Congresswoman Annie Kuster, Joanne Lawler]

A high resolution version of this photo is available here.

Yesterday, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02), the founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, hosted Amanda Jordan of Salem, New Hampshire and her mother Joanne Lawler for a roundtable organized by the Task Force and the Addiction Policy Forum to raise awareness about the impact of substance use disorder on families. Amanda lost her son Christopher to an overdose in 2015 and since then has founded the Christopher M Honor Foundation to help people struggling with substance use disorders access treatment and recovery services.

“It’s hard to imagine the pain of losing a loved one to substance use disorder,” said Kuster. “Amanda and Joanne are showing incredible courage and strength by sharing their personal experiences and the tragic loss of Amanda’s son Christopher. Raising awareness about the impact of substance use disorder is critical for ending the stigma that often deters people from seeking help. We need to treat substance use disorder like the disease that it is and that means expanding access to treatment and recovery services. I appreciate Amanda and Joanne’s willingness to join the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force today and will continue to work across the aisle to tackle the opioid epidemic.”

“My mother and I are here today to speak to a bi-partisan panel of House Representatives, led by NH Rep. Annie Kuster (D) to share the story of my son Christopher Honor, who died from an overdose on Sept 5, 2015,” said Amanda Jordan. “The meeting provided a platform between legislators and those of us in the field to share ideas about what we can be doing to end the Opioid  Epidemic currently gripping this nation, especially New Hampshire. We learned about some exciting new changes that are the first steps toward ending this health crisis.”

The Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, founded by Kuster, has been a driver of Congressional action to take on the opioid epidemic. The Task Force successfully pushed for the inclusion of $1 billion in funding as part of the 21^st Century Cures Act to address the opioid epidemic and helped pass 14 bills which were signed into law as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). Last month, the Task Force unveiled its legislative agenda for 2018. Two pieces of legislation on the agenda, the VA Prescription Data Accountability Act and the INTERDICT Act, have already been signed into law.

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