Pubdate: Fri, 11 Mar 2016
Source: Buffalo News (NY)
Copyright: 2016 The Buffalo News
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/GXIzebQL
Website: http://www.buffalonews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/61
Author: Jennifer Steinhauer, New York Times

SENATE PASSES SWEEPING BILL TO COMBAT DRUG ABUSE

WASHINGTON - Responding to an urgent drug crisis that has contributed 
to more American deaths than car crashes, the Senate on Thursday 
overwhelmingly passed a broad drug treatment and prevention bill, the 
largest of its kind since a law in 2008 that mandated insurance 
coverage for addiction treatment.

"This is big and significant," said Marvin Ventrell, the executive 
director of the National Association of Addiction Treatment 
Providers. "It had legs and interest because of the opioid crisis 
that has hit Middle America."

The bill  which passed 94-1  is a boon for Republican senators in 
swing states, which have been hit particularly hard by the drug 
crisis. Republican Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Kelly Ayotte of New 
Hampshire spent weeks promoting the measure on the floor after seeing 
opioidrelated crime and addiction soar in their states.

It was threatened by Democrats who were angered that Republicans 
turned away an accompanying measure to provide $500 million in extra 
funding to pay for what the bill authorizes.

"What good are additional programs if they aren't adequately funded?" 
said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. "We can't ask medical professionals to do 
more to treat addiction if they don't have the resources." (Portman 
and Ayotte were among five Republicans to vote for the extra funding measure.)

But in the end, the bill was considered too urgent to dismiss over a 
funding fight. Republicans argued that the fiscal 2016 omnibus 
included funding that can be used, and that more will be found during 
this year's appropriations process. President Obama's proposed 2017 
budget seeks $1.1 billion in new federal money to combat heroin and 
prescription painkiller abuse in the United States

While meaningful bipartisan legislation in the Senate is currently 
rare, Republicans and Democrats have found a common ground over the 
last year on criminal justice and mental health issues. The House has 
been working the drug issue and is expected to have legislation on 
the floor this spring.

The epidemic "is probably one of the most pressing public health 
issues facing American families across the country," said Sen. Lisa 
Murkowski, R-Alaska, one of dozens of senators who came to the Senate 
floor to praise the bill, which was sponsored by Portman and Sen. 
Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

In contrast, Murkowski's bipartisan energy bill has been held up for 
weeks by Democrats over a similar funding fight, in that case for 
money to help the city of Flint, Mich., recover from its tainted water crisis.

An epidemic of abuse of prescription painkillers and heroin  often 
abused when the prescription drugs run out  has swept the United 
States, with overdose deaths quadrupling since the late 1990s.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom