Combating the Substance Misuse Crisis
“The fentanyl, heroin, and opioid crisis is the most pressing public health and safety challenge facing New Hampshire, and states across our country. I am committed to working with anyone who is serious about ensuring that those on the front lines have the resources and support that they need to stem – and ultimately reverse – the deadly tide of this epidemic.” – Senator Hassan
Senator Hassan is working across party lines to strengthen prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts to help save lives and combat the devastating opioid epidemic. As part of these efforts, Senator Hassan helped to secure more than $50 million in additional federal funding for New Hampshire to support those on the front lines of this epidemic – including by working with the Trump Administration to ensure that hardest-hit states like New Hampshire are prioritized.
Additionally, Senator Hassan worked to secure critical priorities for New Hampshire in comprehensive, bipartisan opioid legislation that the President signed into law in 2018. The bipartisan legislation included measures introduced by Senator Hassan to expand opioid recovery centers, crack down on bad actors in the pharmaceutical industry, train more doctors to prescribe medication-assisted treatment, and more.
To support law enforcement on the front lines of this epidemic, Senator Hassan joined colleagues in introducing the bipartisan STOP Act – which was included in the comprehensive bill that the President signed – to help curb the shipment of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs sent through the U.S. Postal Service to drug traffickers in the United States. Senator Hassan also cosponsored the bipartisan INTERDICT Act, which the President signed into law, to ensure that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has the tools that it needs to detect and intercept fentanyl and other illegal synthetic opioids at the border.
Additionally, Senator Hassan will continue to speak out against efforts to undermine Americans’ health care, such as proposals to repeal Medicaid expansion, which experts have called the number one tool to help combat the opioid crisis. The Senator also remains focused on working across the aisle to strengthen the substance misuse workforce, eliminate barriers to medication-assisted treatment, increase funding for and improve the standards of recovery housing, and support children and grandchildren impacted by this crisis.
This epidemic is affecting Granite Staters and Americans from all walks of life, and Senator Hassan will keep working to ensure that the federal government is providing the additional funding and resources needed to support those on the front lines.
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February 04, 2020
Senator Hassan Responds to President Trump’s State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON -Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement tonight in response to President Trump’s State of the Union address. The Senator brought as her guest Laconia Police Officer Eric Adams, who has gained national recognition for his work as Laconia’s Prevention, Enforcement, and Treatment Coordinator. In this role – the first of its kind in New England – Officer Adams has helped revolutionize the way that law enforcement across the country approach combating substance misuse.
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January 30, 2020
Hassan-Backed Bipartisan Bill Targeting Fentanyl Analogues Heads to President’s Desk
WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives last night passed bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Senator Maggie Hassan to help ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs to curb the opioid epidemic and better target fentanyl analogues, which contribute to the devastating substance misuse epidemic in New Hampshire and across the country. The bill now heads to the President’s desk for his signature.
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January 29, 2020
Senator Hassan to Host Laconia Police Officer Eric Adams, Who Has Led Efforts to Combat Substance Misuse in New Hampshire, as Her State of the Union Guest
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan announced today that she will host Laconia Police Officer Eric Adams as her guest of honor for President Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 4. Eric has gained national recognition for his work as Laconia’s Prevention, Enforcement, and Treatment Coordinator. In this role – the first of its kind in New England – Eric has helped revolutionize the way that law enforcement across the country approach drug addiction and recovery, prioritizing meeting people where they are at to help them get the treatment and support that they need to overcome substance use disorder.
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January 24, 2020
Senator Hassan Cosponsors Legislation to Prevent Opioid Misuse Among Students and Student Athletes
( This week, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced legislation that would help prevent opioid misuse among students and student athletes. The Student and Student Athlete Opioid Misuse Prevention Act would allow schools, communities and youth athletic associations in New Hampshire and around the country to provide prevention programs to reduce the risk of opioid misuse among students and student athletes. Research shows that students, and student athletes in particular, are at risk of developing a dependency due to opioid pain treatment following injuries. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) are cosponsors of the legislation.
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January 21, 2020
NH Delegation Calls on Trump to Continue Opioid Response Grant Funding, Ensure Set-Aside for Hardest-Hit States
( U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) in a letter to President Donald Trump, calling on him to continue funding for the State Opioid Response (SOR) grant program in his budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2021. The SOR grant program has been a critical tool for New Hampshire and other states on the frontlines of the substance use disorder crisis. The delegation also urged the President to continue the 15 percent set-aside for hardest hit states, which has helped states deeply impacted like New Hampshire. In government funding legislation signed into law last month, Senator Shaheen successfully included a new provision based on a key component of her legislation that provides flexibility for treatment providers to use SOR grant dollars to help patients suffering from methamphetamine and cocaine dependency, in addition to opioid use disorders.
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January 16, 2020
Senate Passes Bipartisan Legislation Cosponsored by Senator Hassan to Help Law Enforcement Tackle the Opioid Epidemic
WASHINGTON - The Senate today passed bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Senator Maggie Hassan to help ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs to curb the opioid epidemic and better target fentanyl and similar synthetic drugs, which have contributed to the devastating substance misuse epidemic in New Hampshire and across the country.
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December 20, 2019
NH Delegation Announces More Than $1.2 Million to Combat the Substance Use Disorder Epidemic
( U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the lead Democrat on the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced with Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) that the Department of Justice (DOJ) awarded $1,215,137 to the New Hampshire Department of Justice (NHDOJ) in support of efforts to combat the substance use disorder epidemic. Specifically, the funding will be used to tackle recidivism among Granite Staters struggling with substance use disorder and enhance the state’s prescription drug monitoring system.
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