**The full subcommittee hearing is available HERE**
**Kuster’s full remarks are available HERE**

Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, participated in an Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing entitled, “An Epidemic within a Pandemic: Understanding Substance Use and Misuse in America." The subcommittee heard from Regina M. LaBelle, Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and health experts about the ongoing substance use epidemic. During the hearing, the subcommittee considered Kuster’s legislation H.R. 2366, the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of Fentanyl Act of 2021, to respond to the proliferation of synthetic opioids and provide a long-term solution to the constantly evolving addiction epidemic.

“To end the addiction crisis, we must utilize evidence-based approaches that prioritize prevention, support, and treatment for those struggling with substance use disorder,” said Rep. Kuster. “I’ve been pleased to see the Biden-Harris administration adopt this approach and emphasize the importance of addressing this crisis. The opioid epidemic is deeply personal to me: In 2019, New Hampshire ranked third for the most overdoses per 100,000 people.”

“We must do more to address the new realities of this epidemic defined by illicit synthetic opioids, as well as ensure our policies don’t reinforce the mistakes of our past that disproportionately impact communities of color,” Rep. Kuster continued. “That’s why I introduced my legislation, the STOP Fentanyl Act, to expand the public health approach to fentanyl overdoses. It is my hope that this administration will commit to working with myself and my colleagues to advance comprehensive solutions like those outlined in my legislation so we can turn the tide on this epidemic.”

Kuster’s STOP Fentanyl Act would: 

• Expand Fentanyl Research and Education: Enhances the public health surveillance of fentanyl-related substances, improves efforts to better detect and share data on fentanyl, and pursues more effective Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment programs 
• Enhance Overdose Prevention: Reports on evidence-based interventions to reduce overdose deaths, improves access to opioid overdose reversal drug Naloxone, establishes Federal Good Samaritan immunity protections for individuals providing care to someone who is overdosing
• Support Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs: Removes barriers and expands access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), maintains enhanced telehealth access to opioid use disorder treatment, helps state and community-based organizations address the harms of drug misuse, and funds education for stakeholders on evidence-based treatment for opioid and fentanyl misuse
• Provide Public Health Data and Training Support: Expands access to public health training for law enforcement handling fentanyl-related substances, examines which countries are producing synthetic drugs, and supports public health surveillance at forensic laboratories

Founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, Rep. Kuster is a leader in Congress in the effort to end the opioid epidemic. This month, Kuster introduced comprehensive legislation to respond to the proliferation of synthetic opioids and provide a long-term solution to the constantly evolving addiction epidemic. Earlier this year, Kuster led 80 lawmakers in a letter to congressional leadership urging the inclusion of $10 billion in funding for mental health disorder and substance use disorder prevention and treatment. 

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