End Substance Use Disorder Statement on Congress’ New Substance Use Disorder Taskforce

End Substance Use Disorder released the following statement after the U.S. House announced a new bipartisan task force to address the substance use disorder epidemic. Following the deadliest 12-month period on record for drug overdose deaths in which 86,000 lives were lost, lawmakers on Capitol Hill released plans to consider comprehensive behavioral health and substance use disorder legislation this year.

“The overdose crisis, which has already claimed more than 750,000 lives over the last two decades, has reached historic highs during the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated End Substance Use Disorder president Erin Schanning. “Congress and President Biden need to act to expand access to proven treatment for substance use disorder with the same urgency they are garnering to roll out vaccines across the country. We need all hands on deck to get help to people before more families are torn apart by the tragedy of losing a loved one to a preventable death.”

End Substance Use Disorder applauds Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, and the leaders of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Caucus, including Representatives Ann Kuster (D-NH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), David Trone (D-MD), and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), for prioritizing the overdose crisis in the first 100 days of the session and for committing to a holistic response based on the evidence.

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