[1]Alessandra Biaggi - Democrat for State Senate



Friends,

Recently, Attorney General Letitia James began the process of distributing
$1.5 billion across New York State to curb the opioid epidemic, an
important step that we should all be immensely thankful for. Soon after,
Governor Kathy Hochul signed a package of bills aimed at supporting
individuals suffering from addiction.

This is great news for our district in particular. The Bronx has the
highest rate of overdose deaths in New York City, and pharma executives
have fanned the flames of this crisis for years in order to enrich
themselves.

That’s disgusting and unacceptable. But one of the most important things
we can do now to curb this crisis is to support individuals who are
struggling, and the new funding and legislation does just that.

Here is some more information on the bills that Governor Hochul signed:

* Legislation S.911/A.2354 promotes the use of opioid antagonists. These
are drugs that promote recovery by blocking positive sensory
experience from opioids
* Legislation S.6044/A.128 creates a directory for opioid antagonists so
that individuals can access information on how to acquire these
medications
* Legislation S.1795/A.868 creates a program to offer medication
assisted treatment (MAT) to incarcerated people suffering from
addiction
* Legislation S.2523/A.868 decriminalizes selling and possessing
syringes and hypodermic needles. This lessens the likelihood that an
individual using drugs will contract HIV and hepatitis
* Legislation S.7228/A.5511 promotes diversion to substance use
treatment over incarceration for individuals who commit legal offenses

I am so glad to see a shift in our state’s policies on opioid addiction
towards compassion and material support.

For far too long, individuals suffering from addiction were treated like
criminals rather than regular people battling disease. And, of course,
much of this ire was directed towards people of color and low income
individuals.

I am excited to see this legislation in action, and I will continue to
fight for regulation of Big Pharma so that no one can ever get rich from
forcing others into the depths of addiction ever again.

- Alessandra

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Alessandra Biaggi has been a champion for progressive causes in the New
York State Senate since 2018, but she needs your financial support if
she’s going to continue her fight to clean up Albany and support working
families.

[ [link removed] ]Can you make a contribution of
$3, or
whatever you can afford, to support Alessandra as she continues to do this
important work? Anything you can give will go a long way.

[ [link removed] ]DONATE



 
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