WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) today announced $16,587,073 in funding from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to bolster addiction treatment resources and support law enforcement agencies’ efforts to tackle illicit drugs in Maryland communities. 

The awards were made available through ONDCP’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Local Drug Crisis programs.

• $16,487,073, Baltimore/Washington Region (HIDTA): To support law enforcement agencies that seize illicit drugs, prevent and reduce gun violence and other violent crime associated with drug trafficking, improve interdiction efforts through enhanced data sharing and targeting, and dismantle illicit finance operations.
• $50,000, Mosaic Community Services (CARA): For community-based solutions to address illicit drugs in Pocomoke City, Md.
• $50,000, Garrett County Health Department (CARA): For community-based solutions to address illicit drugs in Oakland, Md.

“Families devastated by the opioid epidemic can be found in every Maryland community, and fentanyl has only made matters worse. We must pursue a joint strategy to hold drug traffickers accountable to reduce the deadly flow of fentanyl and opioids across this country and to provide treatment for drug addiction to make our communities safer and healthier,” said the lawmakers. “We know what we’re up against, and Team Maryland is committed to providing the necessary funding to protect our communities, get these dangerous drugs off our streets, and get people the support they need — especially in regions with high overdoses.”

The ONDCP was established in 1988 under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act to lead and coordinate the nation’s drug policy.