President Trump signed an executive order on
Wednesday creating the President’s Commission on Combating Drug
Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will
chair the commission, which is charged with reviewing the current
federal response to the opioid crisis and make recommendations for
improving that response. A report is due in 90 days.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie
Baker was expected to be named to the commission. DPH has reported that
nearly 2,000 Massachusetts residents died from opioid use in 2016
– a number that has been increasing steadily in recent
years.