Senator Hassan Statement on CDC Drug Overdose Report

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report showing that New Hampshire had the third-highest age-adjusted drug overdose death rate in 2016 and that more Americans died of drug overdoses last year than in any previous year on record. The data also found – for the first time – that fentanyl, not heroin, is now the deadliest opioid.

“This report is yet another painful reminder of how much work we still must do to save lives and turn the tide of the opioid crisis. Congress must act now to provide additional federal resources to strengthen treatment, prevention, recovery, and law enforcement efforts and give those on the front lines the support they need to fight this epidemic. This is not a partisan issue. Last week, I joined with Senators from both parties who represent some of the hardest-hit states in the country to reiterate our calls for additional federal funding to combat this crisis, and I will keep doing everything I can to secure additional resources and support for New Hampshire.”     

Senator Hassan joined with Senator Shaheen and seven other Senators from both parties last week in calling for significant additional resources to combat the opioid crisis in any long-term government funding bill. The Senator also helped introduce the Combating the Opioid Epidemic Act to invest $45 billion for prevention, detection, surveillance and treatment of opioids, and helped introduce the bipartisan Targeted Opioid Formula Act to prioritize federal funding for states that have been hardest hit by the opioid epidemic, including New Hampshire.

Additionally, the Senator authored the bipartisan Opioid Addiction Risk Transparency Act, which has been signed into law, to help ensure that doctors understand that all opioids – even ones that are “abuse-deterrent” – are addictive.

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