MORGANTOWN – The Senate and House of Delegates adopted identical resolutions Tuesday urging the president of the United States to appoint a former West Virginia public health officer as the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
The House adopted HR 17 and the Senate adopted SR 24.
Dr. Rahul Gupta came to West Virginia in 2009 to lead the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. He rose to statewide prominence in 2014 during the response to the Freedom Industries chemical spill and was appointed commissioner of the Bureau of Public Health in 2015, and served through September 2018.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, talked about Gupta, noting some of the high points of the resolutions. Gupta led the state’s opioid crisis response and launched several pioneering public health initiatives. He was recognized as a national leader in addiction and in West Virginia his initiatives helped the epidemic fall by half.
“America resolutely needs a leader at this time with a proven track record to address the evolving drug crisis,” Takubo said.
Gupta serves as senior vice president and chief medical and health officer of March of Dimes. He is also the interim chief scientific officer for the March of Dimes’ Research and Global Programs.
In November 2020, he was named to lead the Biden transition team for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. News reports indicate he is one of the frontrunners for the permanent post, but there has been some opposition.
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