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Is Hoeber’s Focus on Opioid Abuse a Political Cheap Shot?

We told you last week that Amie Hoeber was staffing up for a second potential run for Congress in the 6th District, and earlier today showed you her disingenuous campaign signs that are on the streets. Yesterday she formally told the Cumberland Times-News that she was in. It’s what she said in that interview that was curious:

“The other thing I care very deeply about is the opioid crisis. We have more people killed by drug overdoses in Maryland than are killed in auto accidents. We need to work on this problem. Much more needs to be done. I am partial to bringing more federal attention to that problem.”

It’s interesting insofar as that during Hoeber’s last run she talked on her website about opioid addiction, but it was not a focus of her campaign, garnering only one notable mention in a candidate questionnaire immediately before the primary outside of her website.

Why is it interesting that Hoeber is now bringing up opioid addiction? It’s got to do with one of her primary opponents, former Delegate Matt Mossburg. Becuase Mossburg himself is in recovery from opioid addiction, as he notes on his website:

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Matt knows first-hand the devastating effects of addiction. In active recovery himself for prescription opioid addiction, he knows this is not an issue that can or will be solved by soundbite solutions. His three-point comprehensive plan to address the opioid epidemic includes the following elements:

  • Immediate in-patient placement for those seeking assistance;
  • Long-term, sober living environments that provide people the time, tools and resources to live out an active recovery; and
  • Peer-to-Peer Networks that allow those who have overcome addiction to build a strong network and give back to the community.

Mossburg hasn’t been shy about his opioid addiction either, including both on his website and the campaign video he’s made available on Facebook.

So is Hoeber’s sudden desire to focus on opioid addiction a personal attack on Matt Mossburg and his continued recovery from opioid addiction? It’s hard to say. But if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck…



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