A Colorado legislative committee started looking into next steps for the state to combat the opioid crisis in a hearing Thursday.
It was the first time in four years the Opioid and Other Substance Use Study Committee had convened. The interim committee was formed in 2017 and last convened in 2019. Over that time 14 bills and 86 policies came out of the committee.
Committee members heard presentations from state departments and opioid use researchers on the current state of Colorado’s opioid and substance use epidemic to start their work drafting bills to address the issue. The committee is led by Democratic Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy, the chair, and Democratic Sen. Kevin Priola, the vice chair.