Scott Statement on New White House Opioid Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the White House released its new plan to address the nation's opioid crisis:

"Today, the President announced policies to ensure that we lose the war on opiates. Our nation has been losing the so-called ‘war on drugs' for nearly fifty years now, and the President remains committed to those failed policies. Slogans like ‘mandatory minimum sentences' and ‘three strikes and you're out' do nothing to curb the drug trade, and have instead resulted in mass incarceration - a burden that has been borne largely by minorities. If the White House wants to get serious about solving this crisis they will dispense with the failed policies based on slogans and soundbites, and consider evidence-based proposals that focus on prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation."

# # #