Notwithstanding any special or general law there shall be a special commission to study the trafficking of heroin into and within the Commonwealth to develop recommendations on actions to prevent such trafficking in the future including, but not limited to legislative recommendations and policing recommendations.

The special commission shall consist of: the secretary of health and human services, or their designee; three members to be appointed by the governor, which shall include: one person who is a police officer specializing in opiates, one person who is a stakeholder within a retail pharmacy company, and one member of the general citizenry impacted by the opiate epidemic; two members of the House of Representatives, one of whom to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the other to be appointed by the minority leader; two members of the Senate, one of whom to be appointed by the President of the Senate, and the other to be appointed by the minority leader; the director of the bureau of substance abuse services or their designee; provided, however, that the first meeting of the commission shall take place not later than December 1, 2021.

The special commission shall submit its recommendations, together with drafts of any legislation, to the clerks of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the chairs of the joint committee on mental health and substance abuse not later than December 1, 2022.