August 29, 2019  | 

Addiction Policy Update – August 2019

HEALTH POLICY

Committees

House Bipartisan Opioid Task Force Roundtable

On July 23rd, the House Bipartisan Opioid Task Force held a Roundtable Discussion entitled, “The Third Wave of the Opioid Epidemic: Fentanyl & Synthetics.” Opening statements involved history of the opioid crisis to-date and the rise of fentanyl synthetics and the associated impacts on communities around the country. Individuals spoke on behalf of SAMHSA, the State Department, ASAM, and as individual experts, discussing policy and law initiatives, statistics and response efficacy to-date, and efforts being made to stop fentanyl from being accessible. A livestreamed recording of the panel hearing can be accessed here.

Holly Strain, Sarah Herbert, and Carol McDaid of Capitol Decisions have generously provided the information used for this Policy Update.