Substance abuse is a critical issue in this election cycle. According to recent polling, almost half of voters in New Hampshire name drug abuse as the most important problem facing the state. It has taken the lives of nearly 500 Granite State residents this year, leaving many families in shambles. Professionals including counselors, law enforcement, recovery experts, legislators and other government officials have been working diligently to find solutions that will bring this problem to an end. Despite the diligent, bipartisan work that has been done to combat this crisis, this election cycle has brought false charges that are particularly disturbing.

Slanderous ads by the National Republican Senatorial Committee that have recently aired on television claim that Gov. Maggie Hassan has “mismanaged” the opioid crisis. The assertion of mismanagement is completely false and unwarranted. Those who have seen these disgusting ads deserve an opportunity to learn the truth.

Here are some facts that will counter the falsehoods that have been polluting our airwaves:

Continuing the successful N.H. Health Protection Program was very significant, as it leverages federal funds to provide over 50,000 residents with health care coverage that includes alcohol and drug abuse treatment. Passage of this legislation was spearheaded by Hassan, who built a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans to get the bill through the Legislature. Exemplifying politics at its worst, many of the Republicans who voted for Medicaid Expansion faced retaliatory primaries intended to punish them for supporting a program that the governor and minority party supported.

Last fall, Hassan called the Legislature back for a special session to deal with the drug crisis. But again, the majority party deliberately blocked the process with strong arm obstructionism and deliberately set back progress. Rather than move forward with enabling legislation, the Republican-led Legislature opted for a task force to study the issue, thereby stalling for time while hundreds of our citizens were in desperate need of help.

This past June, at the end of the legislative year, a bill known as the “Granite Hammer Program” (SB 485) contained money to provide grants to county and local law enforcement agencies to go after drug dealers, not those who are addicted. It was derailed by a completely unrelated amendment that was stuck onto the bill by a prominent Republican in the House. Democrats opposed the amendment because it would do harm to the state retiree health plan. That amendment had nothing to do with the drug crisis. Because of these shenanigans, the original bill died. Again – time wasted while drug dealers were at work in our communities and law enforcement agencies had to wait for the help they needed.

After significant criticism from the governor and within the press, the Legislature agreed to come back into session to pass a new bill without the spurious amendment. The unnecessary delay, however, held law enforcement’s efforts back for months.

It’s clear that Gov. Hassan’s dedication on behalf of those suffering from substance abuse disorder has been urgent and thorough. Her focus has been on finding solutions to reverse the tide of addiction, and getting resources to the places where they are needed. Granite Staters are used to the fact that the election season can be rough and at times nasty. But the recent ads that were designed to discredit the governor were inaccurate and disgraceful.

(Rep. Paula Francese, a Democrat from Exeter, is serving her first term in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.)