Stimulus bill includes vital opioid treatment money | READER COMMENTARY

Thank you for The Sun’s strong endorsement of the pending $908 billion COVID-19 relief package (“Lame-duck Congress must approve bipartisan stimulus bill,” Dec. 3). In addition to the vitally-important big ticket items for state and local aid, Paycheck Protection Program and vaccine development, there is a $5 billion line item for “opioid treatment.”

Such treatment funds for substance use disorder (addiction) services also are critically-needed. While the COVID pandemic expands, the substance use disorder crisis is showing a dramatic increase in the number of people who need and want treatment for opioids, other drugs and alcoholism.

If Congress and the Trump administration enact this legislation, my plea to Gov. Larry Hogan and the Maryland Department of Health is that they give funding priority to community-based, nonprofit organizations that are on the front line of helping people and their families who need immediate, bona fide crisis services.

Groups like Voices of Hope (Cecil County), Addiction Connections Resource (Harford County) and the Daniel Carl Torsch Foundation (Baltimore County) are getting increased demand for services while several public and private resources are understandably diverted to COVID-19 needs.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Council for Behavioral Health confirm that the drug crisis is getting much worse in Maryland and across America.

The forthcoming COVID vaccines are starting to show that there may be a light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel. Regrettably, the same cannot be said about the substance use disorder epidemic.

Don Mathis, Havre de Grace