U.S. Surgeon General, drug czar to joinjudicial leaders at launch of report on opioid crisis

Williamsburg, Va., Nov. 14, 2019 –

WHAT: After a multi-year investigation, The National Judicial Opioid Task Force will release findings, recommendations, and solutions on the role of state courts in addressing the crisis of addiction. Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush (Indiana) and Deborah Taylor Tate (Tennessee), co-chairs of the Task Force, will present highlights from the report at a news conference. U.S. Surgeon General VADM Jerome M. Adams, and the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Jim Carroll, will also offer remarks. A brief question-and-answer session will follow, before a separate panel discussion on the importance of the report’s findings with representatives from the task force and partner groups.

WHEN: 1:00 pm on Wednesday, November 20, 2019

WHERE: Holeman Lounge, National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington D.C.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 96 percent of all cases filed are in the state court system.
• The criminal justice system is the single largest referral source to substance use disorder treatment.
• Those with opioid use disorder are 13 times more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system than those who do not suffer from the disorder.