Issue Position: Fighting the Opioid Epidemic

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The opioid epidemic touches nearly every family in District 30. This isn't a partisan issue, it's a public health crisis. We must act now and rise to meet the challenge.

We must remove the barriers and expand access to substance abuse treatment. Whether that's improving support and funding for Safe Stations or removing excessive regulation to open up more beds, Maryland must to do more to work with local leaders and ensure they have the resources they need to fight this challenge.

Decisions about treatment should remain between doctors and patients. However, we need smart oversight to hold bad actors accountable, such as pill mills and reckless pharmaceutical companies, accountable with real deterrents of those who seek to harm our communities.

Addressing this crisis means ensuring we have the trained workforce, such as social workers, certified nurses, counselors, crisis intervention professionals, and peer recovery coaches, to meet the demand. Maryland work hand-in-hand with our community colleges and universities to ensure we're graduating and incentivizing the service of the skilled professionals needed.

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