Senator Hassan Hosts Conversation in Manchester on New Hampshire’s Battle Against Addiction

MANCHESTER – This week, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan discussed with recovery community leaders what is working and what additional support is needed to continue to combat addiction in New Hampshire. After years of sustained effort at the federal, state, and local effort to combat fentanyl and other opioid addiction, in 2025, fatal overdoses declined by 14 percent nationally and 30 percent in Manchester. “Thanks to the tireless work of local leaders who help Granite Staters battling addiction, we’re finally beginning to see a drop in overdose deaths in New Hampshire. This progress is a result of the advocacy of Granite Staters in the recovery community, and it’s critically important that we do not let up in this fight,” said Senator Hassan. “I appreciated the opportunity to hear from leaders of organizations that help combat addiction about what programs have been working and the ways in which we can continue to expand access to the treatment and support that saves lives.” Senator Hassan continues working to combat the fentanyl crisis and expand access to evidence-based addiction treatment. At the end of last year, Senator Hassan played a key role in spearheading the passage of the bipartisan SUPPORT Act — legislation that expands the federal response to the fentanyl crisis and allows more training, equipment, and resources to flow to first responders as they support Americans battling addiction. Additionally, Senator Hassan helped introduce the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act , bipartisan legislation to improve access to medication-assisted treatment by allowing more addiction specialists to prescribe methadone. In 2022, Senator Hassan successfully passed into law her bipartisan Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act to increase the number of medical professionals authorized to prescribe medication-assisted treatment. ###