BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker, entering the final year of his first term, pitched the Democrat-controlled Legislature Tuesday on the idea of working with him over the coming months to improve the state’s drug addiction treatment and prevention system in what could quickly become one of the biggest debates of 2018.
Some of the many proposals in the CARE Act, which the governor filed in November, appeared to be slam-dunks with lawmakers, including the education component, while others may require more salesmanship.
PAARI founder John Rosenthal and Sen. Cindy Friedman both questioned why the bill didn’t do more to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the role they have played in the addiction crisis and make them a partner in funding treatment and recovery.