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.
Related News
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September 23, 2020
Senator Hassan, Colleagues Urge Judge to Reject $3.5 Million Bonus for CEO of Bankrupt Purdue Pharma
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and colleagues in urging Judge Robert D. Drain to reject Purdue Pharma’s proposal to pay President and CEO Craig Landau a bonus of up to $3.5 million. Purdue’s opioid marketing campaign accelerated an opioid epidemic that has claimed an estimated 400,000 lives.
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September 21, 2020
Senator Hassan Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Help Law Enforcement Better Detect and Track Fentanyl & Other Synthetic Opioids
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, cosponsored bipartisan legislation to ensure that personnel at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have the tools that they need to more easily detect synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which are contributing to the devastating substance misuse crisis in New Hampshire and across the country.
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September 15, 2020
Senators Hassan, Cornyn, and Feinstein Request Details on Justice Department, FBI Efforts to Target Drug Trafficking on the Dark Web
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) are calling for the Department of Justice and FBI to provide more details on efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking on the dark web and prioritize prosecution of individuals who access the dark web for the anonymous distribution of illegal drugs.
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September 08, 2020
Senators Whitehouse & Hassan Op-Ed in The Guardian: Why Did the US Justice Department Let Purdue Off the Hook for the Opioid Crisis?
WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, The Guardian published an op-ed written by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) that highlights their continued efforts to pressure the Department of Justice to turn over a 2006 memo and related documents laying out federal prosecutors’ strong criminal case against Purdue Pharma, including documents that detail the role that Rudy Giuliani and other former Department of Justice officials played in the deliberation.
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August 19, 2020
Senators Hassan, Whitehouse Continue to Press for 2006 Purdue Pharma Prosecution Memo Following New Guardian Reporting
WASHINGTON - Today, The Guardian published additional details about a 2006 Department of Justice memo laying out federal prosecutors’ strong criminal case against Purdue Pharma. The Guardian’s reporting discusses crimes that Purdue Pharma allegedly committed, the evidence that the Department of Justice had against Purdue Pharma, and the Department of Justice’s decision to settle instead of prosecuting Purdue Pharma.
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July 17, 2020
In Response to a Rise in Drug Overdoses in NH, Congressional Delegation Calls for Additional Funding for Substance Use Disorder Services in Next COVID-19 Relief Package
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, joined by U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas, called for additional funding for substance use disorder services in the next COVID-19 relief package as recent preliminary data suggests an increase in overdose deaths in New Hampshire.
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July 10, 2020
Senator Hassan Holds Virtual Roundtable Discussion with Substance Misuse Providers to Discuss Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic
NEW HAMPSHIRE – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan held a virtual discussion this week with those on the front lines of the substance misuse crisis to hear about their concerns and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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