Klobuchar Highlights Efforts to Combat Prescription Drug Abuse at Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

Statement

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) highlighted her efforts to combat prescription drug abuse and submitted testimony from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Minnesota at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday. The hearing focused on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which the senator has introduced with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to encourage states and local communities to pursue a full array of proven strategies in the fight against addiction. The bill includes Klobuchar's provision to combat drug abuse by enhancing prescription drug monitoring programs. At the hearing, representatives from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse voiced their support for the bill.

"As a former prosecutor, I have seen firsthand the devastating effects drug abuse can have on families in Minnesota and across the country, and we can spare no effort to reverse this deadly trend," Klobuchar said. "If we're going to be successful in the fight to prevent abuse, we need to take a comprehensive approach. This commonsense, bipartisan legislation includes my provision to strengthen prescription drug monitoring programs across the country and will help ensure that communities have the resources they need to combat this epidemic."

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