The second of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and Opioid Crisis will be held via teleconference on Monday, July 31, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. EST. The Commission, Chaired by Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) is behind schedule. It met for the first time on Friday, June 16. The Commission was established to develop interim recommendations to the President with final recommendations by October 1, 2017. Other members of the Commission include Governor Charlie Baker (R-MA), Governor Ray Cooper (D-NC), former-Congressman Patrick Kennedy (R-RI), Bertha Madras, Harvard Medical School. Members also include the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense and Attorney General.

The objectives include: 1) identify and describe the existing federal funding used to combat drug addiction and the opioid crisis; 2) assess the availability and accessibility of drug addiction

treatment services and overdose reversal throughout the country and identify areas that are underserved; 3) identify and report on best practices for addiction prevention, including healthcare provider education and evaluation of prescription practices, collaboration between state and federal officials, and the use and effectiveness of state prescription drug monitoring programs; 4) review the literature evaluating the effectiveness of educational messages for youth and adults with respect to prescription and illicit opioids; 5) identify and evaluate existing federal programs to prevent and treat drug addiction for their scope and effectiveness, and make recommendations for improving these programs; and 6) make recommendations to the President for improving the federal response to drug addiction and the opioid crisis.
The purpose of the next meeting is to review the Commission’s draft interim report. The public may call (800) 260-0718 (Access Code 426289) to listen. Please call five minutes before the start time. If you are part of an organization, please try to consolidate use to as few lines as possible. For additional resources go to:

• Federal Register Notice – Meeting Announcement
• Meeting Agenda
• Full Video

The first hearing testimony was provided by Hugh Guill, Young People in Recovery, Jessica Nickel, Addiction Policy Forum, Dr. Mitchell Rosenthal, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Marcia Lee Taylor, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, General Arthur Dean, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, and Gary Mendell, Shatterproof.