Dear friend,
As you know, 2020 was the worst year on record for drug overdose, with more than 90,000 lives lost to drugs. It’s why I am asking, O-NDCP Director, Where Art Thou?
In my latest column for Newsweek, I lay out the history of the founding of the ONDCP -- an office essentially created by then-senator from Delaware, Joe Biden -- and explain why it is so urgent that President Biden officially nominates a Drug Czar immediately.
We are in the midst of a five-alarm fire when it comes to addiction and combating this drug crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.
As it stands, we have seen the Biden-Harris Administration release a succinct, Drug Policy Priorities for Year One and included an unprecedented amount of funding for this effort.
The outline of drug policy priorities and historic levels of funding for the ONDCP that are coming out of the Biden-Harris Administration are encouraging and signal that the administration intends to take the issue of addiction seriously, but it remains perplexing to many in our field as to why the president has failed to officially nominate a Drug Czar to oversee the ONDCP. We hope it happens soon.
As I explain in Newsweek: “Only a confirmed director (ideally at the cabinet level, as was the case from 1993 to 2008) can get the attorney general or health secretary on the phone. Only a confirmed director can meet with heads of state and work on vital international cooperation issues (ever important in today's age of fentanyl overdoses). And only a confirmed director can have the ear of the president.”
There is no shortage of well-respected and experienced candidates that have been floated as potential Drug Czars. Current Acting Director Regina LaBelle, Dr. Rahul Gupta — a health leader from the heart of the opioid crisis in West Virginia, and former Congressman Patrick Kennedy — a longtime champion for mental health and addiction policies with an impressive bi-partisan record all would diligently lead the way.
With there being no slow down to the addiction crisis in sight, now is not the time to take a half-hearted approach to drug policy.
Too many lives are on the line. We can’t afford to wait any longer.
Thank you for taking action today.
