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Opioid Epidemic

Floor Speech

Date: Sept. 12, 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care Drugs

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on one final matter, the pain that opioid addiction and drug abuse has inflicted on families across America is almost unfathomable. Every day, 115 more American lives are lost to overdose. Synthetic opioid deaths nationwide skyrocketed six- fold from 2014 to last year alone.

Sadly, the Commonwealth of Kentucky is all too familiar with these statistics. More than 1,500 Kentuckians died from a drug overdose in 2017, and Kentucky has ranked among the top 10 States for opioid fatalities for several years.

The tragic medical trends are only one of the ways this crisis is crippling communities all across our country. These drugs eat away at economic opportunities, they erode our labor market, and they make it even harder for distressed communities to get back on their feet.

So this is nothing short of a national emergency, and that is why Congress has already passed major legislation to address it, and very soon we will take significant new action by passing the legislation that has been shepherded by Senator Alexander and his committee colleagues. This landmark package combines work from 5 different committees and 70 different Senators.

I am proud that two of my bills are included--the CAREER Act, to help individuals in recovery transition back into the workforce and access housing services, and a second provision that will step up accountability on Federal efforts to combat addiction among pregnant mothers.

These are just two pieces of this comprehensive package.

It will cut the supply of illegal drugs that pour over our borders, make it easier for communities to invest in recovery efforts, extend a helping hand to families and caregivers, and provide for the longer term medical innovation we need to put this crisis in the rearview mirror.

I am pleased to have played a part in developing this landmark response.

I am grateful to Chairman Alexander and his colleagues, and I will be proud to vote for this legislation very soon.

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