Georgia General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery New Co-Chairs Announced
The Georgia General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery is pleased to announce their new Co-Chairs approaching the 2022 Legislative Session.
- The Senate Co-Chairs: Senator Randy Robertson (R) and Senator Michelle Au (D)
- The House Co-Chairs: Representative Matthew Gambill (R) and Representative Angelika Kausche (D)
The bipartisan Georgia General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery host regular meetings with stakeholders, attend site visits, and develops policies in support of peer led recovery while raising awareness among lawmakers about addiction prevention, treatment and substance abuse.
Substance Use Disorder kills more Americans than any other measured issue costing our nation $600 billion in health care, criminal justice, and lost productivity costs, but that is nothing compared to the toll it takes on our families and friends. Preventing the further spread of this epidemic is essential to our nation’s complete recovery.
The Georgia General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery works in a bipartisan manner to stop these devastating trends by bringing awareness to importance of supporting peer led recovery programs and adopting common sense legislation to, appropriately, address Substance Use Disorder as the medical condition it, rightly, is.
“Addiction is a devastating illness that destroys lives and tears families apart. Communities across Georgia are struggling to keep up with the rapid spread of dangerous new drugs into local schools, offices, community spaces, and every corner of our lives. There has never been a more important time for public policy leaders to work in a bipartisan manner to combat this epidemic,” said Senator Randy Robertson.
“Though we’ve been talking a great deal about the public health crisis that is COVID-19, American has been facing another epidemic which claims tens of thousands of lives each year. This is the epidemic of substance abuse. And the number of those affected, particular in the state of Georgia, continue to rise. As a physician, I am honored to Co-Chair the General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery. Georgia needs to treat Substance Use Disorder as the serious medical issue it is, and channel our efforts into seeking policy-based solutions grounded in science, healthcare, and compassion,” said Senator Michelle Au.
I am excited to Co-Chair the General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery. Addiction impacts every community across Georgia. There are over 800,000 Georgians in recovery from Substance Use Disorder. Our fellow Georgians need and deserve help. They need access to peer led recovery programs and these programs must not only be funded, they must be expanded,” said Representative Matthew Gambill.
“If any issue is, and must be, bi-partisan it is recovery. Recovery is not a Red or Blue issue it is an American issue. I am proud to Co-Chair the General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery. Working together, the Georgia General Assembly is ready to help save lives, restore families, build a stronger workforce, and make communities safer,” said Representative Angelika Kausche
“The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse is thankful for the Co-Chairs of the Georgia General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery as well as the over 50 members of the General Assembly working together in a bi-partisan effort to address those issues important to the Georgia Recovery Community” said Neil Campbell, Executive Director of the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse.
“The members of the Georgia General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery are working together and saving lives by breaking the stigma which surrounds addiction. They are showing Georgia that supporting people in recovery transcends partisan politics and unites Georgia,” said Jeff Breedlove, Chief of Policy and Communications for the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse
For Additional Information:
Jeff Breedlove
Chief of Policy and Communications
Georgia Council on Substance Abuse
404-615-5735
