Senator Hassan Hosts Discussion in Alexandria on the Community’s Successful Strategy in Combating the Fentanyl Epidemic and Recent Trump Administration Actions that Threaten[...]

ALEXANDRIA - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan hosted a discussion yesterday in Alexandria with Police Chief David Suckling and leaders of organizations that help Granite Staters get into and stay in recovery about their ongoing work to combat addiction and reduce overdose deaths in New Hampshire.

During the conversation, Senator Hassan discussed how the Trump Administration's decision to ban the use of federal funding for proven overdose prevention methods that enjoy bipartisan support, such as the distribution of fentanyl and xylazine test strips, will hurt recovery efforts. In the years since New Hampshire decriminalized the distribution of fentanyl and xylazine test strips, rates of fatal overdose deaths in the state have steadily dropped.

"Thanks to the tireless work of law enforcement leaders like Chief Suckling and recovery experts, overdose deaths have fallen drastically in New Hampshire over the last few years. Alexandria has not had an overdose since 2020. One of the ways in which Alexandria has been able to achieve this is by distributing overdose prevention kits that include fentanyl test strips," said Senator Hassan. "There is good evidence that fentanyl test strips save lives, but the Trump Administration decided to ignore science and the law by announcing that communities can no longer use federal grant funding to distribute these tools."

"The Administration's decision is outrageous; the fight against addiction is hard enough, and the work of first responders and law enforcement will only become more difficult if we defund proven efforts that have saved lives," Senator Hassan continued. "The Administration needs to listen to law enforcement officers on the ground and restore funding for the tools that have helped rural communities like Alexandria confront the opioid epidemic and save lives."

Senator Hassan continues to work to combat the fentanyl crisis and expand access to evidence-based addiction treatment. At the end of last year, Senator Hassan played a key role in spearheading the passage of the bipartisan SUPPORT Act, which included important support for federal funding for fentanyl test strips. Additionally, Senator Hassan helped introduce the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act, bipartisan legislation to improve access to medication-assisted treatment by allowing more addiction specialists to prescribe methadone. In 2022, Senator Hassan successfully passed into law her bipartisan Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act to increase the number of medical professionals authorized to prescribe medication-assisted treatment.

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