According to Governor Maggie Hassan, the state’s response to the opioid epidemic has been “expansive and effective.” But unfortunately for Hassan, that’s very clearly not the case.
While Maggie Hassan called for federal funding yesterday, it’s important to remember how the epidemic has gotten as bad as it has, and why she’s now calling for this additional funding:
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Governor Hassan’s office was unaware of a $12 million federal grant issued to New Hampshire aimed at drug prevention
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Governor Hassan denied the Manchester Mayor’s request to declare a public health state of emergency over the heroin epidemic one year ago.
- Hassan stood by a unsuccessful drug czar for more than a year despite his long list of failures.
The facts speak for themselves. Maggie Hassan mismanaged this crisis at every turn.
READ MORE from the Associated Press:
Hassan’s response to opioid crisis scrutinized in Senate bid
New Hampshire’s struggle to contain the opioid and heroin crisis has taken center stage in the state’s U.S. Senate race, thanks to fresh campaign ads by backers of Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte that accuse challenger Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan of contributing to the rising death toll.
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More than 400 people died in New Hampshire from drug overdoses last year, and the state’s chief medical examiner predicts the number will near 500 in 2016.
More than 40 percent of New Hampshire voters consider the crisis the top issue facing the state, according to a July poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. The National Republican Senatorial Committee is responsible for the latest ads, which link the deaths directly to Hassan.
“With all my heart, I believe that the governor has mishandled this crisis, it’s sad,” Melissa Crews, a well-known recovery advocate, says to the camera in one ad.
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But as governor, she is also subject to harsh attacks from critics who say she hasn’t acted swiftly enough. Republicans highlight her veto of the state budget last year, a move that delayed the release of some substance-abuse related funding, as well as the resignation of her first “drug czar” who faced criticism over inaction and a lack of organization.
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