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.

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.

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