Judiciary Committee Advances Bipartisan Effort to Address National Opioid Epidemic
WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee today cleared the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act to address the growing opioid abuse epidemic that is gripping the nation. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley led the bill through the committee with the help of its sponsors, senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Rob Portman, Amy Klobuchar and Kelly Ayotte.
“Every life damaged or lost to addiction is precious, and the uptick in overdoses across the country in recent years is frightening. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act is an important and timely effort by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to respond to the current epidemic by expanding access to life-saving overdose reversal medications, increasing options for treatment and placing a renewed focus on prevention. I want to thank senators Whitehouse, Portman, Klobuchar and Ayotte for their work on this bill and all the members of our committee who supported it,” Grassley said.
Drug overdoses have been on the rise in recent years, and are now the leading cause of injury-related death for Americans between the ages of 25 and 64. More than 120 Americans die each day from drug overdoses. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act would help to stem these tragedies by expanding law enforcement and first responders’ access to naloxone, a fast-acting medication that can reverse the deadly effects of opioid overdoses. The bill requires that a fixed portion of this grant money be used to support rural areas, like much of Iowa, where access to emergency healthcare can be limited.
Recognizing that addiction to methamphetamine is also plaguing communities across the country, including in Iowa, the bill authorizes grants for communities facing local drug crises related to either severe opioid or methamphetamine addiction, and reauthorizes both the heroin and methamphetamine task forces that support state law enforcement.
To treat addiction and assist in recovery, the bill launches an evidence-based opioid and heroin treatment and intervention program to expand the use of best practices nationwide. It also establishes a medication assisted treatment demonstration program, and helps to identify and treat non-violent individuals struggling with addiction who encounter the criminal justice system.
The bill also expands prevention efforts by authorizing additional public education programs, increasing unused prescription drug disposal sites and strengthening prescription drug monitoring programs to help states monitor and track prescription drug diversion.
The bill authorizes $77.9 million of previously appropriated funds to be used immediately to combat this epidemic, and allows the congressional appropriators, who set annual funding levels to spend as much as $311.6 million over next four years as necessary to support these efforts.
The bill is supported by a range of stakeholders, including the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, the National District Attorneys Association, the Major County Sheriffs’ Association, the National Association of Attorneys General, and many organizations in the treatment and recovery communities. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the bipartisan bill by voice vote with no opposition.
The Senate Judiciary Committee today also reported to the full Senate the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act for consideration. The bill will help bring clarity and additional procedural safeguards to the process through which the Drug Enforcement Administration can deny, revoke or suspend a drug company’s registration.
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