Michael P. Botticelli (born January 2, 1958) is an American public health official who served as the director of theWhite HouseOffice of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) from March 2014 until the end of President Obama's term. He was named acting director after the resignation ofGil Kerlikowske, and received confirmation from theUnited States Senate in February 2015. Prior to joining ONDCP, he worked in theMassachusetts Department of Public Health. Following completion of his service as ONDCP Director, he became the executive director of the Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine at theBoston Medical Center.
Botticelli began drinking alcohol regularly in his junior year of high school. By his 20s, he was analcoholic.[2] He also experimented withcocaine andmarijuana.[1] He was arrested fordriving under the influence following a traffic collision on theMassachusetts Turnpike in 1988.[2] A judge gave him the option of going into treatment or being sentenced to prison, and he chose to enter treatment.[3]
After achieving sobriety, Botticelli joined the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, in 1994. He worked as a coordinator for alcoholism programs from 1994 through 1995, as contract manager for HIV-related policies and services from 1995 through 1996, as an assistant director for policy and planning from 1996 through 2000, as thechief of staff to the public health commissioner from 2000 through 2003, and as director of substance abuse services from 2003 to 2012.[5] In the latter role, he oversaw the pilot program forQuincy, Massachusetts, police to begin carryingnaloxone to treatopioidoverdose, and the expansion of substance abuse treatment services in community health centers.[2][5]
Gil Kerlikowske, serving as the director of theOffice of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) under PresidentBarack Obama, met Botticelli on a visit to Massachusetts and asked him to serve as deputy director. In March 2014, following Kerlikowske's confirmation as commissioner ofU.S. Customs and Border Protection, Botticelli became acting director. He is the first director of the ONDCP to be in recovery for substance use.[2] TheUnited States Senate confirmed Botticelli in February 2015 by a vote of 92-0.[6] As director of ONDCP, Botticelli has advocated to expand the usage of naloxone, improved education for providers around prescription painkillers and providing clean syringes forinjection drug users to limit the spread ofHIV andHepatitis C.[1] Botticelli criticized the nation's previous approach to dealing with drug issues stating that "We can't arrest and incarcerate addiction out of people". He believes the focus should be on treatment rather than incarceration.[7] He does, however, oppose free marijuana for its effects, for the publicity similar to tobacco it might get and for the dependency the states might get on its taxes.[8]
Following the end of the Obama administration, the Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine at theBoston Medical Center named Botticelli its executive director.[9][10]
