Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission
The Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission was a commission that advised the Trump administration on combating the ongoing opioid epidemic claiming more than 30,000 American fatalities annually in the United States. The commission was chaired by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. The commission disbanded in December 2017.
Commission members
- Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, Chairman
- Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts
- Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina
- Patrick J. Kennedy, former U.S. Representative from Rhode Island
- Bertha Madras, former deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Pam Bondi, Attorney General of Florida
Mission
According to a draft of its executive order of creation, the panel was charged with responsibilities to:- Identify federal funding which could be directed toward medical treatments and aftercare.
- Identify areas in the U.S. with substandard opioid treatment options.
- Identify possible ways to combat the crisis through changes to prescription-writing standards.
- Identify possible ways to provide better addiction treatment options to released convicts.
- Receive support from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the director of the latter's representing the U.S. president in interactions with the panel.