Gov. Larry Hogan (R) declared a state of emergency in Maryland due to the state's opioid-addiction epidemic, according to The Washington Post.
Here are four highlights:
1. Gov. Hogan committed an extra $50 million over the next five years to bolster state enforcement, prevention and treatment services. Gov. Hogan did not specify where his administration would get the money but said he will submit a supplemental budget request to legislators over the initiative.
2. In 2014, Gov. Hogan made a campaign promise to file an executive order seeking a state of emergency over the opioid issue. However, his administration did not take on the order at that point as it focused on other initiatives.
3. Timing is essential and Gov. Hogan said "the realist is that this threat is rapidly escalating" said at Baltimore-based Maryland Emergency Management Agency's command center.
4. In the first nine months last year, opioids killed 1,468 state residents, a 62 percent increase from the same period of 2015.
