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 03, 2021
NH Delegation Announces $525,000 to Boost Substance Use Disorder Response Services at Nashua’s Harbor Homes
( U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Nashua’s Harbor Homes $525,000 to boost the center’s integrated recovery support services for those impacted by substance use disorders. Just last week, Shaheen visited New Futures in Concord to discuss how the pandemic exacerbated the substance use disorder crisis and ongoing efforts in Congress to increase response relief to help providers on the frontlines. Additionally, Senator Hassan is leading bipartisan efforts to increase access to medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders, and introduced bipartisan legislation to eliminate unnecessary barriers that make it more difficult for doctors to prescribe this lifesaving treatment.
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August 24, 2021
Senators Hassan, Grassley, and Whitehouse Call on FDA to Provide Answers on Potential Conflicts of Interest with Consulting Firm McKinsey in Relation to Opioid Crisis
In case you missed it, Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide answers on its past work with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company. The Senators sought to determine if conflicts of interest may have arisen while the consulting firm was working simultaneously for the FDA and opioid manufacturers such as Purdue Pharma.
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August 23, 2021
Senators Hassan, Grassley, and Whitehouse Lead Call to FDA to Provide Answers on Potential Conflicts of Interest with Consulting Firm McKinsey in Relation to Opioid Crisis
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide answers on its past work with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company and the potential conflicts of interest that may have arisen while the consulting firm was working simultaneously for the FDA and opioid manufacturers such as Purdue Pharma. The letter was also signed by Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
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August 13, 2021
Senators Hassan, Braun Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Make It Easier and Safer to Dispose of Opioids and Other Medications
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Mike Braun (R-IN) introduced a bipartisan bill to make it easier to dispose of opioids and other medications. Under current law, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is only able to recommend use of mail-in drug disposal products for prescription drugs such as opioids. The Better Options for Drug Disposal Systems to Reduce Diversion Act of 2021 would eliminate this burdensome requirement and allow for more broad use of safe and effective in-home disposal products, such as those which modify the chemical makeup of the drugs and make them unusable.
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August 02, 2021
Senate Passes Hassan-Supported Effort to Increase Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment in Jails and Prisons
WASHINGTON -The U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation that Senator Maggie Hassan helped introduce to expand access to important substance use disorder treatment in jails and prisons around the country, and help those exiting correctional facilities continue their treatment in the community.
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July 26, 2021
Senator Hassan, Colleagues Oppose Purdue Pharma’s Request for Bonuses to Top Executives & Employees Amid Ongoing Opioid Epidemic
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined her colleagues in urging the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to reject Purdue Pharma’s recent motion requesting $34.7 million in employee bonuses, including $5.4 million for its top executives, as part of Purdue’s Chapter 11 reorganization plan.
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July 20, 2021
Senator Hassan Presses Top Administration Officials on the Substance Use Disorder Crisis
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan participated in a Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing on addressing the substance use disorder crisis. It is the first hearing Senator Hassan participated in as a member of this caucus.
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