Capitol Hill Briefing 

# A “Modern Plague”? How the Federal Government Should Address the Opioid Crisis 

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Date and Time 

June 28, 2017 12 - 1 PM EDT 

Location 

2044 Rayburn House Office Building 

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##### Featuring 

Featuring **Jeffrey A. Singer**, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; **Adam Bates**, Policy Analyst, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute; moderated by **Peter Russo**, Director of Congressional Affairs, Cato Institute. 

According to a recent *New York Times* analysis, drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under age 50. Driving this trend, which shows no sign of abatement, is a surge in opioid-related overdoses. These types of deaths have occurred with such frequency that Maryland, Florida, and now Arizona, have declared medical states of emergency

What to do? Solutions range from requiring more federal intervention in the practice of medicine, increasing punishing actions on heroin production in Central America and Afghanistan, and enhancing domestic law enforcement efforts to crack down on street-corner dealers and their supply networks. Other ideas involve an increase in public education, medical intervention, and monitoring, as well as deregulation and legalization.

Join us for a clarifying examination of the issues and learn what Congress should and should not do to remedy the situation.

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