NH State Representative Steven Smith

Addressing the Heroin and Opioid Crisis – What we have done so far:

Secured a grant for the Sullivan County TRAILS program
Established a fourteen member commission to study Narcan and produce a long term plan on the use and distribution of Narcan. SB447 (2016)
Strengthened laws in several areas including: law enforcement, the program for monitoring prescriptions for controlled drugs, the education of medical providers, and insurance coverage for treatment. SB576 (2016)
Added penalties for the possession and use of fentanyl that are equal to the penalties for the possession and use of heroin and crack cocaine. SB576 (2016) Passed mandatory standards for prescribing rules and required using the controlled drug prescription health and safety program database. HB1423 (2016)
Established a law enforcement grant program to assist the state, county, and local law enforcement in addressing the opioid crisis by targeting drug dealers and traffickers. HB1000 (2016)
Added technology upgrades for the controlled drug prescription health and safety program. SB522 (2016)
Established a special nonlapsing account for the department of health and human services to fund drug education, prevention, and treatment programs. SB522 (2016)
Required opioid agreements between prescribers and patients if the patient is using opioids for more than 90 days within any 6month period. SB523 (2016)
Established a commission to study requiring controlled drugs and controlled drug analogs to be sold in tamperproof form. SB523 (2016)
Established the statewide drug offender grant program. SB464 (2016)
Made a supplemental appropriation to the governor’s commission on alcohol and drug abuse prevention for additional treatment and recovery funding and to the New Hampshire housing finance authority for temporary housing for those in recovery. SB533 (2016)
Encouraged public schools to include drug and alcohol education as part of their health education curriculum. SB369 (2016)

This election season has been pretty depressing.  Neither party can look in the mirror and say “We’re better than them”.  It has been far too long since we had a contest of ideas.  Our election season should be filled with plans and positive visions of the future, with the voters deciding which one to try.  I’ve had some ridiculous dirt thrown at me in the past.  It hasn’t happened yet this cycle, but then again I haven’t gone to the Post Office yet today.

New Hampshire voters have been generally good at rejecting sleazy tactics in local elections, at least here where we live.  I ask you to take that standard, and next time, apply it to the top of ticket.  It is hard.  A lot of smart people on both sides hire marketing people who work night and day to make you hate each other.  You have the power to make it stop.  I have never hated my opponent or thought they were bad people.  I run for office, and re-election, because I think my ideas and my positions are a better path forward than theirs.

Recruiting people to run for state and local office gets harder every year.  Part of that is that they don’t think opening themselves up to attack, to dirty mailers, to having their family persecuted (all have happened to me) is worth it.  We can change that.

I am going to call out dirty players every time I see them… and I don’t care which party they are in.  I hope you’re with me.  The political leaders of each party are clearly not interested in a return to respectful differences of opinion.  Together, we can force them to.

Steve

Saturday, October 22 is your opportunity to safely dispose of unused drugs.  Throwing in the trash creates the possibility of children or animals getting into them, and flushing them puts them into the municipal water supply, or your own groundwater.  Please take this opportunity to secure them safely.