U.S. Senate passes bill to combate heroin, painkiller abuse

The Senate on Thursday passed legislation to combat the growing epidemic of painkiller and heroin abuse by a 94-1 vote (Source: “Senate passes bill to combat heroin, painkiller abuse,” Washington Post, March 10, 2016).

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) co-authored the bill with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). Portman emphasized how critical the bill’s programs will be in Ohio, where heroin and opioid abuse problems lead to nearly one death every three hours.

If passed by the House, the legislation would establish grant programs to help state and local governments improve education and treatment for drug abuse, encourage medical providers to reduce unnecessary prescriptions, commit resources to help veterans deal with addiction, and give local law enforcement and mental health officials tools to lower the death rate from overdoses.

A key provision would provide states with incentives to make naloxone, which can counteract overdoses, more widely available by offering liability protections to officials who distribute it.