Congress: Embrace Health-Based Solutions to the Overdose Crisis

Prohibition fuels the overdose crisis. It pushes drugs underground where they avoid regulation. Here, drugs become more potent and dangerous. By promoting “just say no” rhetoric, prohibition stigmatizes individuals, discouraging them from finding the resources they need.

Though we won’t end prohibition tomorrow, it’s possible that with enough support we can use President Trump's emergency declaration as an avenue to pass tangible drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.

Send a message to Congress today. If they are serious about addressing the overdose crisis the current administration must embrace health-based solutions and eventually decriminalize drug use and possession.

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Your Message

Subject Adopt health-based solutions to the overdose crisis

Dear Member of Congress,

President Trump officially declared the overdose crisis a national emergency. But the declaration carries little weight, opening up only $57,000 in additional resources. Although overdose deaths are mostly preventable, overdose kills over 50,000 people each year.

Instead of enacting the health-based solutions needed to save lives, President Trump and Attorney General Sessions are solely focused the opposite approach – increasing law enforcement, treating drug use as a crime and making penalties even harsher.

Sessions recently said he wants to “create and foster a culture that's hostile to drug use,” and Trump said he favors a “strong law enforcement” and “Just Say No” type approach to prevention.

It’s time for Congress to act by adopting effective health-based solutions. I hope you will prioritize scaling up access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone and medication-assisted treatment, like methadone and buprenorphine, and resist efforts to expand the use of mandatory minimum sentences and criminalization. We can’t arrest our way out of the overdose crisis. Overdose deaths are preventable and I urge you to do everything you can to help save lives.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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