2019 MS Governor's race: on Drugs


Robert Foster: We can't punish someone out of addiction

Across our state, children are born into opioid addiction, families are torn apart, and thousands of lives are destroyed each year. Now, more than ever, we need to attack the root cause of the problem and re-habilitate those addicted.

We can't punish someone out of addiction. We must lead the effort of penalizing drug traffickers and placing non-violent addicts on the road to wellness. These non-violent offenders need a path back into society where they can once again be economically self-sufficient citizens by investing in mental health programs rather than more jail cells.

We must look at all scientifically proven and medically beneficial options for pain management. Opioids are not always the best solution, and we must bring law enforcement, the medical community, and all other stakeholders to the table to have a serious conversation about this issue and how we can implement common-sense policies to allow for safer alternatives.

Source: 2019 Mississippi governor campaign website Foster4MS.com Dec 31, 2018

Robert Foster: Full-on prohibition of drugs does not work

Foster's views do not always align with the hard right. In 2016, he wrote that, while he doesn't support "the legalization of drugs," he believes "full-on prohibition" does not work, suggesting the war on drugs was a failure. "We know that throwing addicts in jail for using drugs does not stop them from using drugs," he wrote. "Most addicts start to use drugs just as soon as they get back out, some use drugs even while they are still in jail."
Source: Jackson Free Press on 2019 Mississippi governor race Dec 10, 2018

Jim Hood: Sue opioid manufacturers for deceptive practices

A growing tide of lawsuits alleges that drugmakers used deceptive practices so they could rake in huge profits from opioid painkillers while deceiving the public about the risk for addiction. Mississippi may again lead the way, as it did against the nation's cigarette manufacturers, suing the Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma and seven other drugmakers. The state of Ohio has now filed a similar lawsuit. The lawsuits are borrowing legal tactics the state of Mississippi pioneered against Big Tobacco. The states asserted they were victims of an industry-induced nicotine addiction that spiked health care costs for Medicaid recipients [based on deceptive marketing].

Now AG Jim Hood is using a similar argument against opioid drugmakers. "These pharmaceutical companies marketed the drug as rarely addictive and a safe substitute for non-addictive pain medications," wrote Hood, whose predecessor and professional mentor, Mike Moore, led the fight against the tobacco industry.

Source: Clarion-Ledger on 2019 Mississippi Gubernatorial race Jun 10, 2017

Phil Bryant: More drug testing for unemployment insurance applicants

We write to you today in support of H.J. Res. 42, your legislation that would disapprove of the US Department of Labor's recent regulation regarding states' ability to drug test individuals who apply for unemployment insurance (UI).

Congress authorized the Labor Department to craft a rule that would provide states the option to drug test unemployment insurance applicants. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration drafted the rule too narrowly, undermining the intent of Congress and permitting drug testing in too few instances.

Drug testing UI applicants can help individuals suffering from substance abuse to access necessary care and treatment so they may re-enter the workforce as healthy and productive members of society. We believe this rule should be replaced with a new rule that allows increased flexibility for states to implement UI drug testing that best fits the needs of each state. We look forward to working with Congress on this issue going forward.

Source: 2019 Mississippi Governor campaign press release Feb 10, 2017

  • The above quotations are from 2019 Mississippi Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage.
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Candidates and political leaders on Drugs:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Nov 28, 2019