Lawmaker asks conference committee to consider supporting funding for substance abuse, addiction, and rehab program<\/p>\n
Rep. Manny Gregory Castro (Ind-Saipan) has asked members of the Senate and House of Representatives conference committee to consider support funding for the substance abuse, addiction, and rehabilitation program.<\/p>\n
Castro, who chairs the Education Committee, pointed out at a special session in the House of Representatives last Friday that, given the tough economic times and hardships, it\u2019s important that the Legislature assist efforts in the prevention of drug abuse and help those families that are currently in the program.<\/p>\n
The Senate and House have formed a conference committee to hammer out a mutually acceptable legislation to revise the budget law for fiscal year 2023.<\/p>\n
Having been to the HOPE Recovery Center site that day, Castro said he finds it really does need funding assistance, noting that there are many persons in the program that have \u201cpotential.\u201d<\/p>\n
Castro said the Senate version of a bill that seeks to revise the fiscal year 2023 budget law has slashed $100,000 that was originally intended for substance abuse and recovery program.<\/p>\n
Castro said he has seen firsthand some government agencies that have full-time employees, yet there\u2019s hardly any activity. \u201cWe really need to look at all the departments\u2026because I don\u2019t understand. If drug use and drug prevention is really important I don\u2019t see the equitable support going there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Castro underscored the need to look into the funding issue for the substance abuse, addiction, and rehabilitation program, saying substance abuse is going to be a big issue in the coming months, given the CNMI\u2019s financial situation.<\/p>\n
The lawmaker said he knows that his precinct, Precinct 2, is going to be directly affected with substance abuse problem and that it\u2019s going to spread out to the other precincts if they don\u2019t take care of the issue. Areas under Precinct 2 are Susupe and Chalan Kanoa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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