Issue Position: Opioid Epidemic

Issue Position

The heroin and opioid epidemic is a scourge on our community and is claiming too many of our children's lives. Addiction is a disease that does not discriminate, and we all know a neighbor, friend, family member or colleague who has been affected. Recently, I, along with the Assembly Republican Conference held a series of statewide grassroots forums to address this crisis and we are working diligently to implement our solutions in Albany.

My plan: TREE

Treatment: We need to fund recovery centers at the local level and empower those on the frontlines to be able to help addicts recover. This includes waiving the "fail-first' requirement where some insurance companies mandate an addict relapses first before they can be admitted to a longer addiction program

Recovery: Making sure recovery centers have adequate resources and enough beds is crucial, and I'll press the state for more funding to fight this epidemic. Last year, the state secured $200 million to fight the heroin epidemic and I will continue that crusade in Albany.

Enforcement: We need to empower law enforcement to lock up dealers and throw away the key. This includes the "death by dealer statute,' where dealers can be charged with manslaughter if the person who they sell heroin to dies of an overdose.

Education: We should be educating children starting in third grade about the dangers of heroin and opioids to prevent them from falling victim to addiction, and make sure Narcan is readily available to teachers, parents and police.

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