New laws O'Mara co-sponsored taking effect in January to strengthen, lay groundwork for ongoing initiatives to address the heroin and opioids epidemic

Elmira, N.Y., December 28—New laws co-sponsored by Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats), a member of the Senate Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction, will take effect in January to enact a comprehensive new package of anti-heroin initiatives that will continue to strengthen the New York’s prevention, recovery, treatment and enforcement efforts to combat the deadly drug. 

The Senate and Assembly approved the legislation and the measures were signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo in June.

“Both the Senate Task Force on Heroin and the governor’s task force focused on direct, local input as the driving force behind these new actions.  We heard directly from the local front lines in fighting this heroin crisis and that’s the foundation we’re building on and will keep building on,” said O’Mara.  “This local input, which has also been reflected in actions we’ve taken over the past several years as well as in this year’s state budget, helps us target the necessary responses and will keep our strategies as up to date as possible.  Heroin and opioids are devastating lives in Penn Yan, Hornell, Ithaca, Elmira and many other communities throughout the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions, and statewide.  Local input has been the driving force behind the new actions we’re taking to strengthen the state-local partnership and keep putting in place the most effective combination of law enforcement, awareness and education, and treatment and prevention.  We need to keep acting and keep working, and we will."

Read the full announcement of new laws taking effect in January HERE.