Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (D-NH), the founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, released the following statement on the White House Opioid Commission’s final findings:

“The opioid crisis is incredibly complex, and we must attack it from all angles and address prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “The findings announced today by the Opioid Commission are encouraging. In particular, the inclusion of a call to establish a nationwide system of drug courts is welcome. Drug courts have been successful in New Hampshire and we should be fostering the expansion of innovative programs that are being put to use in states around the country. It’s important that now President Trump and his Administration work with Congress to appropriate funding so that those on the frontlines of this crisis have access to all the resources they need.” 

The Final Report from the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis contains 56 recommendations on combating the opioid crisis. These recommendations address federal funding, opioid addiction prevention, opioid addiction treatment, overdose reversal, recovery efforts, and research and development efforts. Kuster has been a leader in Congress in addressing the opioid epidemic. In June, the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force released its legislative agenda for the 115th Congress. The agenda includes the Stem the Tide of Overdose Prevalence from Opiate Drugs (STOP OD) Act, which authorizes up to $75 million in educational grants to prevent opioid abuse, and the Synthetic Drug Act, which requires the Surgeon General to submit a report to Congress on the health effects of the rise of synthetic drug use among young people aged 12 to 18.

Yesterday, Kuster introduced the Federal Opioid Response Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure that the states most affected by the opioid crisis receive appropriate resources under the 21st Century Cures Act. 

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