Issue Position: Fighting the Opioid Epidemic

Issue Position

Southeast Michigan has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic. The state has been slow to act and local resources are stretched too thin. As an addict in recovery, Joe Bellino has experienced first hand how destructive drugs and addiction can be. That's why he's taken action to confront this crisis during his first term, taking concrete steps to protect the community. But he also understands that there's still a lot of work to do.

So far Joe has:

Passed law ensuring that parents and patients understand the potential dangers associated with opioid pain killers.
Barred minors from accessing "whippits" which are nitrous oxide canisters that can be used to obtain a high.
Introduced legislation to prevent pill "skimming" by modernizing pill bottles.
Joe Bellino has laid out several next steps to fight the epidemic:

Reduce access to prescription opioids by working with doctors. This is an epidemic that will take more than just legislation to fix, it'll take communication and cooperation between all parties to bring meaningful solutions forward.
Increase access to rehabilitation programs. Joe understands that it's not enough to prevent more people from becoming addicted, we also need to lend a helping hand to those that need it.
Reduce punishments for those seeking help. Our legal and corrections systems should be looking to help addicts as they go through the process, we should not be looking to jail addicts, we should be looking to jail distributors and dealers.
Michigan is facing a crisis that will only get worse the longer we let it continue. We need leaders like Rep. Bellino in Lansing who will work to ensure effective policies are being put in place.

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