Gov. Hogan declares state of emergency in heroin, opioid crisis
March 1 (UPI) -- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency Wednesday because of a heroin and opioid "crisis," and pledged an additional $50 million in state funds over five years to deal with the epidemic.
"We need to treat this crisis the exact same way we treat any other state emergency," Hogan announced at a news conference at the Maryland Emergency Management Agency in Reisterstown. "This is actually about taking an all-hands-on-deck approach so that together we can save the lives of thousands of Marylanders."
The state of emergency will allow local emergency agencies to cut through "red tape" with more flexibility for prevention, treatment and enforcement efforts.
"The fact of the matter is that people all across Maryland, and the nation for that matter, are looking for answers when it comes to this heroin and opioid epidemic," Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, who heads the governor's Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, said at the news conference.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/03/01/Md-Gov-Hogan-declares-state-of-emergency-in-heroin-opioid-crisis/1161488420318/
