CHARLESTON – Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, today congratulated Dr. Rahul Gupta for his nomination to serve as President Joe Biden’s Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Gupta, who formerly served as commissioner and state health officer for the State of West Virginia, would be the first physician to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy should he be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

“This is outstanding news for West Virginia, and for the entire country,” Senate President Blair said. “Dr. Gupta is a world-class advocate for public health. His leadership was critical in West Virginia’s fight against the opioid epidemic, and his guidance was critical as we developed new policies to protect and support our families who experience substance abuse disorder. I look forward to the great things our country will accomplish in this fight under his leadership.”

The Senate unanimously adopted Senate Resolution 24 during the 2021 Regular Session, which urged President Biden to appoint Dr. Gupta to the role. Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, who is a physician, was the lead sponsor.

“I’m ecstatic to learn that Dr. Gupta has been nominated to lead this office,” Senator Takubo said. “Dr. Gupta is truly a bipartisan, nonpolitical person, whose interests are pure. If he’s able to accomplish even a fraction of what he did for West Virginia in his new federal role, the United States will really be headed in a positive direction with handling the opioid epidemic.”

Senator Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, a physician who serves as chairman of the Health Committee, also praised the nomination.

“Dr. Gupta is known for his expertise and approach to tackling this tremendous crisis that’s gripping both our state and our country, and that’s through science and statistics to study the big picture,” Senator Maroney said. “His ability to study substance abuse disorder not as a single-issue problem, but a multi-layer problem with numerous causes, effects, and stages for intervention, will be critical as the United States continues to fight this epidemic into the future.”