Durbin: We Need a Forceful Response to the Heroin and Opioid Epidemic

Statement

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor calling out Republicans for failing to provide immediate funding for new efforts to combat opioid addiction in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. Durbin noted that the CARA bill freezes funding for addiction treatment at a time when the number of deaths from opioid and heroin overdoses continues to grow.

"When only 12% of the people in Illinois are able to receive care for their addiction and there is a 12-week wait at facilities for vulnerable patients to get into drug treatment, authorizing new programs, which this bill does, is good but not good enough. We need to make an investment. We need to put taxpayers' dollars behind this commitment to end this epidemic, and it's needed now," said Durbin. "Failing to provide the dollars today is not going to help those who are currently suffering. It's not going to help that mother who was awake all last night worrying about a son or a daughter who is facing an addiction, praying they can get that child they love into treatment in time to break that addiction and save their lives."

Last month, Senator Durbin introduced comprehensive legislation to prevent prescription opioid addiction, as four out of five heroin users started by misusing prescription opioids. The Addiction Prevention and Responsible Opioid Practices Act (A-PROP Act) would curb the number of opioids flooding the market, increase accountability to ensure responsible prescribing practices, and support prevention efforts to reduce drug diversion and addiction.

Source