On Wednesday, October 9, White House Director of National Drug Control Policy Dr. Rahul Gupta joins Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller on a visit to John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, where they will participate in a school assembly to highlight the dangers of illicit drugs like fentanyl and the life-saving effects of opioid overdose reversal medications like naloxone.
During the assembly, Dr. Gupta will host a live naloxone demonstration to educate students on the importance of this life-saving tool. Dr. Gupta and Lieutenant Governor Miller will tour the school’s Wellness Center to learn about the mental health and substance use services provided for students on campus.
According to an MCPS press release, Dr. Rahul Gupta is the first medical doctor to serve as the Director of National Drug Control Policy. A board-certified internist, Dr. Gupta has been a practicing primary care physician for more than 25 years, and has served in private practice and public health in towns as small as 1,900 residents and cities as large as 25 million. Through his work as a physician, a state and local leader, an educator, and a senior leader of a national nonprofit organization, Dr. Gupta has dedicated his career to improving public health and public safety.
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) leads and coordinates the nation’s drug policy so that it improves the health and lives of the American people. ONDCP is responsible for the development and implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy and Budget. ONDCP coordinates across 19 federal agencies and oversees a $44 billion budget as part of a whole-of-government approach to addressing addiction and the overdose epidemic. ONDCP also provides hundreds of millions of dollars to help communities stay healthy and safe through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and the Drug-Free Communities Program.